


unsolved - season 2

by xiaodejun



Series: unsolved [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghost Hunters, Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Based On Buzzfeed Unsolved, Demons, Fluff and Humor, Ghost Hunters, Ghosts, Humor, Idiots to Idiot Lovers, M/M, Renjun and Yangyang are cousins, Romance, Scary, Supernatural Elements, because you know. ghosts, death mentions, horror elements with ghosts, that last tag is ollies idea shoutout to ollie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2020-04-22 22:01:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 31,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19137433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xiaodejun/pseuds/xiaodejun
Summary: Taking care of a relationship? Looking for ghosts? Dealing with surprise visits from relatives? Getting your house raided by a group of friends basically every day? That's just Renjun's and Jaemin's life now.(a second season of unsolved!)





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ENJOY!!!

The first thing Renjun smelled when he entered the kitchen in the morning was burnt coffee. That was not a good start. But what followed was worse.  
“Hello, cousin,” Yangyang said, sitting on the counter and looking at him with an innocent smile. “Do you perhaps know how to fix the coffee maker?”  
“Do you know how to run for your life? If Jaemin finds out, we’re dead,” Renjun whispered, looking around in fear. But it was too late. He felt someone’s arms wrapping around his waist.  
“What about Jaemin?” Jaemin asked, placing his chin on Renjun’s shoulder. He sniffed the air a few times. “Oh my God. Please tell me I’m smellmagining things.”  
“This is not a word.” Renjun furrowed his eyebrows. “Is it? I have to call Jeno.”  
“Not a word. Now, what’s up with my baby?”  
“I’m fine, thank you,” Renjun said with a cute smile. Jaemin couldn’t help but laugh.

“You guys seem to have breaking coffee makers in your blood,” he said after three attempts on fixing the machine. He was too tired for that. “Nevermind. Yangyang, what do you think about eating breakfast at a café instead?”  
Yangyang jumped off the counter in record time.  
“Grandma doesn’t get up until 10, so yes!” he said with a bright smile. “Wow, I’m gonna hang out with you guys. It’s incredible. When mom told me I was going to Korea, I was like ‘wow! Maybe I’ll visit some of the haunted places’. And then grandma said ‘Well, we’re visiting your cousin Renjun’ and I was like ‘It can’t be happening’. But it is!”  
Renjun closed his eyes, trying to focus on all of the words. _God._  
“You talk a lot for a person who just woke up.” He put on his coat. Yangyang laughed.  
“Yeah, I made 3 espressos accidentally. Drank them all to get rid of the evidence.”    
“Wow,” Jaemin said, blinking a few times. “No coffee for you, then.”  
“I can live with that if I get some sweets.”

They walked down the street slowly, taking in the sun. Jaemin was holding Renjun’s hand and listening to Yangyang’s story about his airport adventure, which involved a woman giving birth, two fighting grandmas and a golden retriever.  
“Your Korean is really good,” Jaemin noticed when the story came to an end.  
“Thanks. I like learning languages.”  
“And how many do you know?” Renjun asked, intrigued.  
“Mandarin. German, I lived in Germany for a long time. English. And Korean.” Yangyang counted them on his fingers.    
“Shit, children really are our future,” Jaemin whispered.    
“I’m not a child! I’m literally 19. So like… Your age.”  
“Now I feel stupid.”  
“As you should,” Renjun giggled and squeezed his hand.  
_Cute._

The café wasn’t crowded, but Renjun had high expectations, so while Jaemin took Yangyang to see the menu, he went on a quest of finding the perfect place.  
“Found a nice table!” he finally shouted in Jaemin’s general direction and sat down. And the table next to him was taken by… “Oh, Jeno. What’s up?”  
His friend looked at him and smiled lightly.    
“I’m editing,” he explained, pointing to his laptop. “Since your house is infested with vermin.”  
“Hi,” Yangyang said, standing behind him. “I’m vermin. Nice to meet you.”  
“Pleasure not reciprocated.” Jeno rolled his eyes. Renjun pretended to be shocked.  
“Damn,” he said. “Did someone burn your house down?”  
“He’s just annoyed because Yangyang messed with his equipment.” Jaemin joined them, clearly amused by the situation. “Hi, Jeno.”  
“Hi, Jaemin. Thank you.”  
“No problem. Junnie, what do you want to eat?” Jaemin asked, playing with Renjun’s hair.    
“Green tea and two croissants, please.”    
“Great. Let’s go, Yang, time to order.”

“Renjun,” Jeno said casually. “What’s up with you two?”  
“What do you mean?” Renjun tried not to blush but failed miserably. As always.  
“You came in here holding hands. The pet names. The hair touching. I sense… Gay.” Jeno raised his eyebrows in a triumphant expression.  
“Shut up,” Renjun squealed. “I mean… maybe? We kissed yesterday.”  
“You WHAT!” Jeno looked at him with a big smile. “Wow, that’s what I call progress!”  
“Thanks,” Renjun couldn’t help but laugh a little. The support was… Surprising.  
“So he’s your boyfriend now?”  
“Well, we haven’t really talked about it, you know. We were too busy kissing.”  
“God, that’s so lame. Should I talk to him?” Jeno made a scary face. Renjun burst out in laughter.  
“I don’t think it will be necessary. Thanks for the offer, though.”  
“Anything for my favorite ex-boyfriend.”  
“Don’t make it weeeeird!” Renjun hit him on the arm. “How was the ride with Hyuck?”  
“Depressing. He asked me for relationship advice.”  
“Oh shit.” Renjun winced. “It’s okay, Jen. You will find that person. Somewhere out there, there’s your perfect boyfriend.”

“Awww. That’s so cute,” Yangyang threw himself onto the chair, almost spilling his own coffee on himself. Renjun looked at him with raised eyebrows.  
“I thought we said ‘no more coffee’.”  
“It’s decaf. I tried to use my undeniable charm on Jaemin, but he’s too focused on someone else.”  
Renjun blushed.  
“Shut up.”

Jaemin joined them soon with his coffee, Renjun’s tea, and croissants.  
“Bon appetit,” he said with a smile. “How’s editing going, Jeno?”  
“Kind of slow since a bunch of kids started bugging me.”  
Renjun snorted.  
“Sure. Blame it all on me.”  
“I’m not necessarily talking about you,” Jeno said. Yangyang didn’t hear him, too busy looking at the screen.  
“Wow,” he finally said. “I always wanted to see how it looks like before the editing. I mean, there must be so many things to cut out to make an episode.”  
“Yeah,” Jeno said, half-focused.  
“You’re doing such an amazing job,” Yangyang continued. That got Jeno’s attention.  
“Me?”  
“Yes. You.”  
“Don’t act so surprised, Jen, we tell you that all the time,” Renjun said, raising his eyebrows. He leaned over to Jaemin and started whispering in his ear. “Could we take him with us to the next location? He’s a fun kid.”  
“Jeno? We always take him.”  
“No, stupid,” Renjun sighed. “I was talking about Yangyang.”  
“Oh. I was thinking about the same thing,” Jaemin nodded. “I wonder if he’s such a scaredy-cat, too.”  
“I’m not… Shut up.”

“Hey, lovebirds? We’re still here,” Jeno said, waving his hand in their direction. Renjun smiled at him.  
“We know. Sorry. Just had an idea.”  
“Amazing how your mind works. What’s the next location?” Yangyang asked. “Please, I’m so curious.”  
“It’s a surprise. But… If you want to go with us and be in the episode…”  
“CAN I?” Yangyang almost jumped off his chair. Jeno raised an eyebrow.  
“I don’t know, _can_ you?”  
“Shut up. MAY I?”  
“Sure,” Jaemin smiled. “You’ll be a special guest of the episode.”  
“He will?” Jeno asked with a miserable face.  
“I will! Thank you!” Yangyang smiled at them.  
Jeno rolled his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and i'm back ksjdkshd  
> i hope you liked it!  
> tt: xuxisearrings  
> cc: xiaodejun_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy!!

“Hello, boys,” Renjun’s grandma said as soon as they walked through the door.   
“Good morning, Mrs Huang,” Jaemin said. Jeno bowed and ran away to his little editing room.   
“Hello, grandma,” Renjun and Yangyang said simultaneously. Their grandma took a sip of her tea.  
“Have you eaten breakfast?” she asked. Jaemin nodded.   
“Yes.”   
“And who is he?” Mrs Huang furrowed her eyebrows. Renjun smiled.   
“That’s my… roommate, grandma. Jaemin.”   
“Grandma Jaemin? That’s ridiculous, Renjun. I am your grandma.” She smiled sarcastically. “Come closer, young man.”

Jaemin’s face got weirdly pale. He smiled awkwardly, stepping back.  
“Oh, I have to fix the coffee machine, ma’am…”   
“Jaemin,” Renjun whispered, looking at him. “She won’t eat you.”   
“Nothing to be afraid of, right?” The woman smiled. “Let’s be humane.”

Renjun rolled his eyes. Impossible. He moved away slowly and let them talk.  
“Hey, Yangyang, want to help me make waffles?” he asked, taking out the waffle maker. His cousin smiled apologetically.   
“Please, I’d love to eat some. But… I’m gonna go annoy Jeno into showing me some editing tricks.”   
“Okay. Good luck!” Renjun laughed. “Jaemin, want waffles?”   
“Always,” Jaemin said weakly, moving away from Mrs Huang. “I’m just gonna go… Get my hoodie. I’m cold.”   
“Get me your hoodie, too. I’m cold.” Renjun pouted. Jaemin laughed quietly.  
“Don’t you have any hoodies?”   
“Nope,” Renjun lied, looking him in the eye. Jaemin smiled and left to get the hoodies.

“Is he your boyfriend?” grandma asked, furrowing her eyebrows. Renjun felt himself blush. _Oh, fuck._  
“Umm… He… We just…” Well, wasn’t that a perfect reaction. He wanted to jump off the nearest cliff. Did they have any cliffs around?  
“Stop acting stressed. I’m an… alien?”   
“Ally,” Yangyang corrected with a wide smile. “Where are my waffles?”  
“Not yet, go bully Jeno.” Renjun rolled his eyes. An ally? How did she even know this word?   
Oh, right. Yangyang.   
“I don’t object to you having boyfriends, Renjun. But I feel like this one is… No good.”  
“Grandma, you said that about the mailman last week.” Yangyang giggled, stealing some gummy bears from the cupboard. The old lady ignored him.  
“Will he be able to take care of you?” she asked. Renjun smiled.   
“The mailman?”  
She rolled her eyes.

“Hoodies,” Jaemin announced with a smile. Renjun smiled and took one from him.   
“Thanks, Nana,” he said, voice muffled by the fabric. “He can take care of me perfectly fine.”   
His grandma shot Jaemin a murderous look.  
“Great then. I’m going to take a nap.”

Yangyang sighed and ate a gummy bear.   
“This woman is living the dream. Sleep. Eat. Nap. Read a book. Eat. Nap…”   
Renjun giggled.   
“Yeah. Now… You guys go bully Jeno together. I have to plan our next trip,” he said, pointing to his Ghost Binder. Jaemin smiled.   
“Can I talk to you, actually?” he asked.   
“Sure,” Renjun hummed. Yangyang waved at them and ran to pester Jeno.

“What’s up?” Renjun finally asked, looking at him. He was blushing again. Ugh, the feelings.   
“Nothing. Just… You know.” Jaemin looked away.   
“I don’t.”  
“Well, about… _You know.”_  
Renjun giggled. Unbelievable.   
“Jaemin,” he said slowly, playing with his hair. “I love you, but if you don’t stop acting weird…”   
“You love me?”

Renjun froze. His brain was screaming in three different languages, but it all meant _OH FUCK OH HOLY SHIT MOTHERFUCKING GOD._ This was not at all the plan and he had to do something about it. Save the situation somehow.   
“Hey, look! What a cool bird!” he screamed, pointing to the window. As soon as Jaemin turned away, he started running towards his room.

Of course, Jaemin’s stupid long arms were holding him in place.   
“You are impossible,” Jaemin said with the widest smile ever known to man. Renjun blushed even more.   
“Shut up.”   
“Do you really think I kissed you just because I felt like it?”   
“But you did want this, right?” Renjun was literally becoming the human form of stress. And Jaemin did not seem to be stressed at all. Only the slight shaking of his hands betrayed him.   
“Of course I did, Junnie. I kissed you because I love you. Dumbass.”   
“You’re a dumbass,” Renjun hummed. And then he froze. _Wait._

Before he was able to humiliate himself more, Jaemin laughed and kissed him.

“Did you pack for the next fifty days?” Jeno said, looking at Yangyang’s giant suitcase. The boy rolled his eyes.   
“I wanted to make sure I’ve got everything covered.”  
“You could cover every camera with this amount of clothes.”

Renjun rolled his eyes at the bickering and sighed, content. The morning air was cold and fresh, and it made his cheeks sting a little. Jaemin was standing next to him, half asleep and wrapped in a blanket. _Adorable._

Mark arrived in his old, blue car. He got out and helped them pack the bags into the trunk.   
“Hi, guys. Who’s moving out?” he asked, pointing to the big suitcase.   
“Oh, it’s Yangyang’s,” Jeno said, raising an eyebrow. “He’s a special guest and a bit overexcited about it. But then again, who wouldn’t be?”   
Yangyang looked at him and squinted.   
“Who is Yangyang, again?” Mark asked, struggling with the suitcase.   
“Me is Yangyang. I mean, I am Yangyang.”   
The eldest boy looked at him and smiled. Renjun knew this fatherly expression too well.   
“You can’t randomly adopt people,” he reminded Mark. “Yang, this is Mark. Mark, this is my cousin from China.”

They managed to get into the car, which was the hardest for Jaemin. He hit his head on the roof multiple times before Renjun gave up and let him rest in his lap.   
Not that he minded.

The car journey was quiet for them.  Jaemin slept through it, Jeno was surprisingly nice for Yangyang, Renjun was playing phone games. But finally, the car stopped. They got out.

They were standing on a forest road. Renjun smiled.   
“Yangyang, I’d advise you to take only the most important belonging. We’ve got a bit to walk before we get there.”  
The boy rolled his eyes, but with Jeno’s assistance managed to pack the essentials into a smaller bag.   
“Hair straightener? Your hair is already straight,” Jeno whispered.   
“And why do you think that is?”

The hike was short but very poetically looking. Renjun took a lot of tree pictures, Jaemin kept tripping over the roots.   
Finally, they stopped.

From the trees and bushes, a little roof stuck out.   
“Welcome,” Renjun said. “To the Cabin of Screams.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> back with another chapter, just a tw there's suicide mentioned

“Woah,” Yangyang said. “You did the voice.”   
“Yeah, it’s my job,” Renjun rolled his eyes. “Where are we doing the introduction?”   
Jeno pointed to a fallen tree, covered in moss.   
“Gross,” Jaemin whispered. Renjun giggled and sat down.

“We’re currently deep in the woods and the views are simply poetry,” he said when the cameras were all set up. Telling these stories was an important experience for him. “But as every poem has a hidden meaning, so does this place. Behind the curtain of serenity and moss, a dark secret has been hiding since 1987.”   
“Woah, someone is becoming a poet,” Jaemin said, looking at him with raised eyebrows. Renjun only rolled his eyes.   
“What can I say? Talent. Some of us have it,” he answered. Yangyang snickered. There was something triumphant in Jaemin’s smile.  
“Oh, I can’t deny it. Your imagination is very powerful, especially the way you’ve convinced yourself ghosts are real.”   
Renjun sighed. _Right. He didn’t see that coming._  
“Shut up.” He pushed Jaemin playfully. “Anyway. It was the 27th of July, 1987, when Kim Minsoo, a 20-year-old aspiring poet, arrived here. This very cabin was supposed to be his getaway, a perfect place to get the inspiration from. He was already considered a promising creator by many. No one asked questions when he arrived with two women he introduced as his sisters.”  
“Sounds like a cool guy. And he had great taste,” Jaemin interrupted him. He looked around as if he was on an episode of House Hunters.  “Look at this place.”   
“Yeah, definitely.” Renjun raised an eyebrow. “The inhabitants of the village nearby all adored Minsoo, for he was lively and well-mannered. He would often come down to the village to buy food, and he’d always complain about the screams he could hear in the night.”  
“Oh, here we go,” Jaemin whispered. “Foxes scream, you know that?”   
Renjun laughed grimly.   
“The villagers told him the same thing, but some of them did notice a lot of screams this particular summer. More relatives, all young women, visited Minsoo. But they would never visit the village.”   
“That’s understandable?” Jaemin said, but there was uncertainty in his voice. Renjun considered that a win.    
“And finally one night a local man decided to investigate the screams. He followed the sounds right to the cabin, where he found five bodies. They were all massacred almost beyond recognition, but they belonged to the five women visiting Kim Minsoo.”

“Holy fuck!” Jaemin shouted, jumping on the log. “Wait! _He_ was the bad guy?”   
Renjun sighed and looked at him.   
“He killed five people, Jaemin. How would you call it?”  
“A really bad day.”   
“Wha-“ Renjun looked at him, trying not to laugh. It was _serious._ “God.”  
Jaemin was definitely not stopping there.    
“Oh, you know. The typical summer vacation plans. One: go to the beach. Two: party with friends. Three: kill five women in a cabin deep in the woods.”   
“You’re an awful person,” Renjun wheezed.   
“I never said I wasn’t!”  
Jeno’s stare said _One day, we’ll get demonetized._

Renjun cleared his throat.   
“The search for Kim Minsoo would last six more months. Officially, he didn’t hurt anyone besides these five women, but some do find connections between this tragedy and some unsolved murders around that time.”   
“At least they caught him,” Jaemin said. “He’s rotting in jail.”   
“Not exactly. He would often complain about hearing screams and committed suicide in his cell.”   
“God,” Yangyang shuddered.

“The cabin is said to be haunted by the women and Minsoo.”   
“Yikes. That would suck, to be stuck haunting with the man who killed you.” Jaemin winced. “I really hope that’s not real for that reason. Even the Devil himself would not do something so cruel.”   
Renjun nodded slightly.

“The most common form of haunting are the screams. But some mediums also saw shadow silhouettes, heard female voices and saw the typewriter move,” he finally said.    
“Okay, so… Foxes, shadows, other people, bullshit,” Jaemin said, rolling his eyes.    
“We’ll see about that. In this episode, which is our season two premiere, we will spend the night in the legendary Cabin of Screams.”  
“Unless Renjun chickens out.” Jaemin smiled.   
“I never chicken out.” Renjun pouted. He saw his boyfriend’s (?) gaze soften immediately.

“Well, you did at least three times,” Yangyang said. Renjun kicked him.   
“And today we are joined by a special guest, my cousin. This is Yangyang and he’s a brat.”   
“Well, he is technically right,” Jeno noticed. Renjun looked at him, betrayed.   
“Let’s just start doing things, okay?” He pouted and leaned into Jaemin. “We’re getting inside.”   
“Okay, baby,” Jaemin hummed and kissed the top of his head. Jeno yeehawed triumphantly.   
“This stays on camera.”   
“Not if you want to live,” Renjun hissed and got up, only to start chasing after Jeno. Yangyang laughed.   
“Yes, fight! Go, Jeno!”   
“Careful, there’s a lot of roots here!” Jaemin said with a worried face. He turned to Yangyang and smiled. “I bet you five chocolate bars Renjun gets him.”   
“No way in hell,” Yangyang whispered, shaking his hand.

They reached the door, covered with ivy. It was so… hauntingly beautiful. As if nature was trying to cover the horrors of this place, make it disappear completely and free those suffering. It made Renjun shudder. He squeezed Jaemin’s hand, hoping it would ground him more in reality.

“You guys think it’s poison ivy?” Yangyang asked. Jeno chuckled.   
“Why don’t you touch it and see for yourself?” he suggested, pushing Yangyang slightly. The other boy squealed and grabbed Renjun, who lost his balance and started falling towards the ivy.   
But Jaemin’s hands stopped him from falling.   
“Hey, baby, careful.”   
“Yangyang did that to me,” Renjun said. “And Jeno pushed him, so it’s his fault.”  
“Sorry, Jun.” Jeno looked really surprised, so Renjun decided not to attack him in an act of mercy.

“Are we ready to get inside?” he finally asked. Jeno took a big stick and moved the ivy away.   
“We’re ready, boss.”   
“Woah, I’m the boss now.”   
Jaemin giggled and opened the door. Renjun stared into the darkness.

It was time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you liked it  
> tt: xuxisearrings  
> cc: xiaodejun_


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy!!

The first thing Renjun noticed was the smell of dust. It was everywhere, filling up his nostrils. But there was also a different smell, a smell of smoke and sulfur. He did not like that at all. It was hard for him to locate the source of any smell. The light from their flashlights was too weak to expose the secrets of the hallway to them. It barely exposed the holes in the flooring. Renjun held Jaemins hand like there was no tomorrow. The entire place was giving him the chills. There was something vicious about its silence, its darkness.

Yangyang sneezed and gave Renjun a heart attack. He basically threw himself into Jaemin’s arms.   
Jaemin was unfazed.   
“Bless you,” he said calmly.  
“You sneeze like a little kitten,” Jeno teased, pointing his camera to blushing Yangyang.   
“Shut up. The ghosts will make fun of me,” the poor boy said.  
“Oh, I’d love to see that. Renjun, can we keep him?”  
Renjun rolled his eyes and slowly got back on the ground.   
“He has parents who love him, so it might be a problem,” he reminded his dear friend and looked around. “Okay. We’re in the hallway now. The most active places are Minsoo’s study and a bathroom, where a mirror is said to show the victims’ faces. We’ll start our investigation with the living room. We do have to find the right door first, though.”   
Jaemin rolled his eyes.  
“That’s gonna be easy. How many doors can there be?”

So many doors.   
Whenever Renjun opened a door, it seemed to be sealed or lead to an empty room. It was starting to feel really weird. How many doors could fit on the ground floor of a cabin? And yet, every time he looked around, he noticed a new one.   
“I’m going crazy.”   
“This one?” Jaemin opened the door. A sofa, a fireplace… It was definitely the ‘living room’.   
_Jaemin had a door talent, for sure._

“I hate doors now,” Renjun sighed, sitting on the sofa. Jeno smiled.   
“I think they’re an extraordinary band,” he said. Renjun groaned and Yangyang giggled.   
“Good one.”

“Can we focus on ghost-hunting here, boys?” Jaemin looked at them. Yangyang was already walking around and searching the cupboards.   
“Hey, look! There’s a doll who has no eyes and bloody eyeholes,” he said, half-amused and half-terrified.    
“Please, don’t ever refer to a doll as ‘who’, I beg you,” Jaemin said, shuddering.

Renjun had no choice but to get up from his very comfy position and join his cousin. The doll was, indeed, something. He couldn’t decide if it was scary or cliché. He did have bad memories about eyeless things, though, so he decided to take a step back.   
“Woah, Nana. Come look at this and tell me this is not fucked up,” he said, knowing his beloved human radiator would very much appreciate the cliché of it. And also… it was a doll.  
“It is. You’re shaking.” Jaemin hugged him.   
“Cold,” Renjun lied.   
“Of course,” his partner snorted and looked right into the doll’s eyesockets. “Hi, haunted doll.”   
“Don’t talk to it like that,” Renjun hissed.   
“Oh, yeah. Why do that when we can use the spirit bitch!”   
Renjun had to hold back laughter.   
“You’re impossible.”

He dug the device out of his backpack depths. Jeno was very amused by that.   
“Can’t you just keep it in a different pocket?”   
“Shut up. Great idea but shut up. I’m stressed,” Renjun whispered and pressed the magical ON button.

“Hi. Our names are Renjun, Jaemin…”  
“Yangyang and Jeno,” his dearest cousin interrupted him. “Can you say them back?”   
“Don’t involve me in this?” Jeno looked offended. “I very much enjoy not being dead.”   
Renjun side-eyed them. _Shut up._  
“We won’t harm you, we just want to talk. Who is here?”  
The box made a few clicking noises in the quiet room, and then…   
“ **Spaghetti.** ”   
“Thanks. Now I’m hungry,” Jaemin whispered. Renjun tried to keep a serious face. He just couldn’t help but burst out in a fit of giggles. Jeno and Yangyang laughed, too.

Finally, they managed to calm down. Renjun sighed and looked around.   
“We’re reaching out to whoever haunts this house.”   
“Or whatever. Could be a demon for all we know,” Jaemin said, placing his chin on Renjun’s arm. The smaller boy shuddered, both from the tickling sensation of Jaemin’s breath on his jaw and the concept of a demon haunting that cabin.  
“You’re stupid, but sure. Is there a demon in this house?”   
“ **Yes.** ”   
Renjun closed his eyes. _No, no, no._  
“Their name… Is Spaghetti,” Jaemin said in a low voice. Yangyang giggled but his face was pale, just a little less pale than his cousin’s.

“Let’s just go and explore,” Renjun sighed, trying to cover up a shiver. _Demons? Nuh-uh._  
“Maybe we could split,” Jaemin said with a devilish grin. “I’ll go with Junnie to the study… And you guys check out the haunted mirror.”   
“Do you _hate me?_ ” Jeno whispered. Yangyang gave him one of his most innocent smiles.   
“Come on, Jeno. What could go wrong?”   
“I’m not going with the demon!”   
“Well, you’re just being rude to Spaghetti now,” Jaemin interrupted their little argument. “Junnie, lead me to the study.”

The study and the bathroom were both upstairs, so the ‘teams’ got there together. They had to be very careful, most of the steps had holes or were somewhat loose.   
“Now we split,” Jaemin said, turning on his camera. “Bye-bye, boys!”   
“Fuck off,” Jeno said. Yangyang smiled and lead him to the bathroom.

Renjun pushed the door. It opened without any struggle.   
“Holy shit,” he whispered.

Haunting. That was the only adjective he could think of. The study looked like someone still lived here. Only a thick layer of dust reminded them that they were looking at a place frozen in time, a graveyard of a soul. The only soul the murderer ever had, written into the poems, laying now perfectly still on a wooden desk.

“Hm. I don’t like it,” Jaemin said. “How did nothing get stolen from here?”  
“Too haunted to touch,” Renjun hummed, looking around.   
“Hey, Spaghetti? Why don’t you attack us, hm?”   
“ _Jaemin._ ” Renjun should’ve been prepared, but… He wasn’t.   
“Come on, Minsoo, old pal. Hit us up, we’re bored. Kill me even!”   
“Don’t say this!”   
“Kill me! Kill me! Kill me!” Jaemin started chanting. Renjun was pretty sure he was experiencing a stroke.

The spirit box didn’t help them. The room seemed to be dead silent and Renjun hated it even more that way. He looked at Jaemin.   
“I don’t like it here,” he said.   
“Are you afraid of the demon?” Jaemin smiled. Renjun bit his lip and nodded slowly. Jaemin paused the recording and hugged him.   
“It’s okay, baby,” he whispered into his hair. “Demons don’t exist. And even if they do, no demon will ever hurt you.”   
Renjun closed his eyes, feeling much better. There was something in Jaemin’s words that made him believe he would be protected from anything.

And just as he calmed down, they heard a high-pitched scream.   
“Yangyang,” they said simultaneously.

They ran out of the room and into the bathroom immediately. Yangyang didn’t seem to be screaming. He was clinging to Jeno, though.   
“You guys heard that too?” he asked casually.   
“Yeah, we thought it was you,” Renjun sighed, relieved.   
“Nope.”  
“Foxes,” Jaemin shrugged.

Renjun took out the spirit box. If they were here anyway…   
“Talk to us,” he sighed, turning the gadget on. White noise.   
“Hey, why don’t we play Bloody Mary?” Yangyang asked and looked into the mirror.  
“Don’t you dare.”   
“Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary!”   
“ **Let us out.** ”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy last day of pride enjoy the fear

“You heard that, too.” Renjun looked at them. He felt the fear and paranoia creep up to him once again. “I’m not imagining things.”   
“I heard it for sure,” Yangyang said, his eyes wide with horror in them. Jeno shrugged.  
“I heard something. Don’t know what, though. Yangyang was kind of squealing into my poor ears,” he said. He didn’t look very disturbed by it, though. And Yangyang stepped even closer towards him. Jaemin looked at all of them and sighed. Renjun was almost relieved when he noticed. If Jaemin was relaxed… There was no reason to be scared. _Right?_  
“Well, I don’t trust the spirit box.” Jaemin looked at the device with deep hatred in his eyes. “But maybe we can set up a camera here, to film the bathroom. And the mirror specifically.”   
“Oh, good idea.” Jeno started looking for the right equipment. A shudder went through Renjun’s body. He couldn’t feel his fingertips. Was Jaemin… Afraid?

Yangyang was pacing around, looking at them. Then at the mirror. Then at them again. Renjun was ready to choke the guy. And then, finally, Yangyang stopped.  
“ _Let us out._ Do you think they want us to break that mirror?” He looked at it and stretched out his arm as if he was ready to hit it.    
“That would mean seven years of bad luck,” Jaemin said with a smile. Renjun furrowed his eyebrows, starting to connect the dots.  
“Actually,” he said slowly, looking at the mirror. Not _into it,_ though. He wasn’t stupid. “In some cultures, it is believed that mirrors can trap souls and attract spirits.”   
“Grandma wouldn’t let me place one in front of my bed.” Yangyang nodded.  
“Exactly.”   
“So you think… If we broke the mirror… Would they get out? And kill us?” Jeno asked casually. Renjun shuddered.   
“Sure,” Yangyang said in a weak voice. “That’s a pleasant thing to think about.”

They stood in silence for a couple of seconds. That vision surely did something to a brain. Renjun was trembling a little. And they had to stay for the night?  
“No one will kill us. Because ghosts aren’t real,” Jaemin sighed.   
Renjun clung to his arm, suddenly feeling watched.  
“Don’t say that when they’re _there,”_ he whispered, pointing to the mirror with his head. Jaemin sighed.  
“They’re not… Damn it. Just put a camera in here, Jeno.”   
“Already doing it, Mr Smartypants,” Jeno hissed. Renjun raised his eyebrows. That was something new. Was the Jeno Sass Disease spreading in his brain and making him sarcastic towards everyone?  
“Why are you so angry again?” Jaemin asked. Jeno waved with his left hand. Or rather with his left hand and Yangyang’s right hand.  
“Because I can only use one hand. Because SOMEONE is using my other hand.”   
“I’m scared,” Yangyang said, his voice merely a whisper. Renjun nodded. There was something about this place. Something evil.

Finally, Jeno was done with installing the camera. They left the bathroom quickly.   
“There’s also the attic,” Renjun said, putting on a brave face.   
“Attics are always haunted,” Yangyang noted, playing with Jeno’s fingers.   
“Sure. Jaemin, are you recording them?”   
“Recording what!” Jeno jumped. Renjun smiled at him and looked around.   
“We will now go to the attic and try to hold a spiritual séance there.”   
“Great,” Yangyang said. “That sounds like something grandma would absolutely approve of.”   
“That’s why you won’t tell her shit.” Renjun raised his eyebrows and led them to the attic.

“Well, isn’t that amazing!” Jaemin announced with the widest of smiles. “How cozy! How home-like!”   
There was a giant reversed pentagram drawn on the floor. Renjun looked around. Of course, must have been some teens fucking around. A doll’s head only confirmed his assumptions. That was just classical high school buffoonery.

“I love it here,” Jaemin said, laying down in the pentagram. “Can we sleep in this room?”   
“ _Nana,_ ” Renjun hissed. He took out the Ouija board and some candles. And salt.  
“What’s the salt for? You’re hungry?” Jaemin asked.   
“To guard us against demons, obviously. Sit down, guys.”   
“I’ll film,” Jeno said, raising an eyebrow. “I like not dying.”   
“I don’t.” Yangyang smiled and sat down. “I’ve always wanted to do this.”  
“Can’t figure out if he’s a coward or not,” Jeno whispered. Renjun shrugged and started setting everything up.

The board in the center. They sat around it in a small circle. Or triangle. Renjun lit the candles and made a salt circle around them, with Jeno’s help.   
“Can you be careful with the salt?” Jaemin rolled his eyes. “Don’t want it in my t-shirt.”   
Jeno sprinkled a bit of salt in his t-shirt. Jaemin shot him an annoyed look.   
“ _Dude._ Remind me, why are we friends?”   
“I’m Renjun’s favorite ex-boyfriend.”  
“I’m Renjun’s favorite current boyfriend.”   
“Oh are you know? Since when are you two official?” Jeno raised his eyebrows. Renjun and Yangyang exchanged tired looks.   
“The Ouija board is literally here. Are y’all really having this conversation now?” the latter finally asked.   
“Since when… Junnie. Wanna be my boyfriend?”

Renjun couldn’t help but laugh.   
“You two are so _ridiculous,_ ” he said, looking at Jaemin and Jeno. Mainly at Jaemin. “Of course I wanna be your boyfriend. Stupid.”   
“You’re stupid,” Jaemin said softly and leaned over to kiss Renjun on the nose. “Fuck. The salt. The salt is moving south. It’s in my a-“  
“I hate that I have this on tape,” Jeno whispered to himself. Yangyang giggled.

Something crashed downstairs.   
They all fell silent, looking at each other.   
“Wind,” Jaemin said. “Or a squirrel.”   
A shrill scream went through the air. Renjun jumped.   
“We have to go check that out,” he whispered. “Although I wish we didn’t.”

He got up, and so did Jaemin and Yangyang. The former froze for a second.   
“It’s probably just a fox,” Jeno said, not sounding convinced. “Are you scared, Jaemin?”   
“Nope. Just trying to remember if I’m vaccinated for every animal-transmitted disease ever.”   
Renjun stepped out of the salt circle carefully. Yangyang just jumped, breaking it. Jaemin got out last.   
“Let’s catch some foxes. And rabies.”  
“Hopefully not,” Renjun rolled his eyes.

As he took a deep breath to call himself down, he heard another scream.   
A closer one.

They went down the stairs, slowly and carefully, and looked around the first floor.  
“The crash was in… the bathroom?” Jaemin said. Renjun closed his eyes.   
"Don’t say this,” he whispered but followed his boyfriend to the right door anyway.   
“Shit,” he heard Jaemin say.

The camera Jeno had carefully taped onto the sink was now completely untaped and leaning against the mirror.   
The mirror that was now broken.   
The mirror not showing the bathroom anymore.   
And there were only two pieces left on the wall, symmetrical and sinister.

“They look like eyes,” Yangyang said slowly.   
“That’s seven years of bad luck,” Jaemin added, looking at the little glass pieces. Jeno cursed under his breath and got the camera.   
“It’s broken,” he said, looking at it. He raised his head. “Not cool, demons. Not cool.”

Then he froze for a second and his face got all pale.   
“Jeno?” Yangyang pulled him away from the mirror. “What’s up?”   
“Thought I saw… Nevermind,” he sighed, stepping even further away. “I think it’s time for us to sleep.”   
“I will never sleep again,” Renjun said. “We can go lie down, all right. But first I want my Ouija board back.”   
“Sure.”

They headed back to the attic and Renjun’s nervousness was suddenly going wild once again, with those cold chills coming back all the time.   
“Is it just me or is it colder in here?” Yangyang asked.   
_Oh. So not nervousness then._

“Hey, guys,” Jeno asked, looking at the board. “What letter did we left it on?”   
“No letter,” Renjun said. “We put the pointer next to the… board…”   
The pointer was right on the board.

**_HELLO._ **

“Why did I leave China again?” Yangyang whispered. Renjun’s hands were shaking. And he didn’t like the whole thing at all.   
“We should’ve put a camera in here,” he whispered and kneeled down.  
“Wait,” Jeno said, doing the same. “It’s covering the ‘o’.”   
“Please, don’t tell me it says ‘hell’, please,” Yangyang whispered. Renjun gritted his teeth. He was feeling tears coming into his eyes. He didn’t like being that scared, and he was getting fed up with it.

He placed the pointer on **_GOODBYE_**.   
“Fuck off, ghosts.”

They set up their ‘camp’ in the living room. Renjun wrapped himself into a cocoon with his sleeping bag and clung to Jaemin, who seemed to be carefree.   
“I am not sleeping tonight,” Yangyang whispered.   
“Yes, I've been brokenhearted!” Jaemin howled. Jeno giggled.   
“Blue since the day we parted~”   
Renjun closed his eyes. And then opened them again to look at Yangyang in absolute misery.   
“Maybe we want the demon to kill us..?” Yangyang whispered. Renjun sighed.   
“Don’t ever say that.”

He woke Jaemin up at three A.M.   
“Do you hear that?” he whispered.   
“Hear what?” Jaemin mumbled, looking at him. And then he heard that.

Footsteps. As if someone was racing upstairs.   
“You’re recording?” Jeno asked. He was already sitting up and shaking Yangyang’s shoulder.   
“Yeah, of course I am.”   
“It’s an old house. The wood is creaking,” Jaemin said.

A particularly loud sound made all of them jump nervously.   
“Mamma mia,” Jaemin said.   
“Here we go again,” Jeno whispered. Yangyang smacked him in the head.   
They heard another scream but decided to stay in their sleeping bags.

Renjun didn’t sleep at all and when he finally decided to wake everyone up, the sun was starting to rise.   
“Seems like we survived the night,” Jaemin said with a bright smile. Renjun just took his hand and exhaled shakily.   
“Let’s get out of here,” he said.

They walked to the door. Renjun’s hand was already on the doorknob when he noticed something shiny on the floor. He picked it up.   
“A piece of a mirror?” he said to himself. “How would it get here?”   
“Leave it and be careful. It’s sharp,” Jaemin said. Renjun had already decided to put it down again.

But he saw a reflection. A glimpse.  
It was behind him. A tall shadow, just a shadow, he tried to tell himself.   
But shadows didn’t have yellow eyes.

He dropped the glass shard and kicked the door open. He jumped out of the building as fast as he could. When he finally looked back, it was just Jaemin, looking at him with worry in his eyes.   
“You need sleep, baby.”  
“You bet I do,” Renjun’s voice quivered as he said this.

They sat down on the same fallen tree. Jeno set up his camera again.   
“So that was the Cabin of Screams,” Jaemin said slowly. “Yangyang, any commentary?”   
“Very scary. I think I cried,” Yangyang said. “Please, can I go with you next time, too?”  
“Sure,” Jaemin said. “Junnie?”   
“I think I’m scarred for life,” Renjun said. “But at least we’re out of there now. FUCK OFF, DEMONS!”  
Jaemin laughed.

They got back to the road. Mark was already waiting for them in his car.   
“Hey, guys. You look like death.”   
“Thanks,” Renjun hummed and got into the car. Soon enough he was asleep on Jaemin’s lap.

He dreamt of yellow eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you liked it!!!  
> tt: xuxisearrings  
> cc: xiaodejun_


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy some fluff

When Renjun woke up, the car wasn’t moving. And his boyfriend was staring at him with the most tender look in his eyes.   
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Jaemin said softly. Renjun furrowed his eyebrows.   
“’M not a… Where are we?” He looked around. From his point of view he could only see the sky. Not helpful.   
“Stopping for something to eat. Come on. We have to get out?”   
“McDonald’s?” Renjun asked with hope in his voice. Jaemin rolled his eyes.   
“No. Italian food.”   
“We never eat that.” Renjun got up so fast he hit his head. “You have to help me pick, Nana.”   
“Never knew you were such a fan of Italian cuisine,” Jaemin said, smiling at him. Renjun looked at him. _Oh, come on._    
“I love it. Let’s go.”   
“Slow down, Junnie.” Jaemin giggled. “Your hair…”   
“What?” Renjun looked into the mirror and squinted. “Wha… Oh no. Do you have a comb?”   
That was… The worst case of bedhead he’s ever seen on himself. Half of his hair was flat, the other half was wild, probably thanks to Jaemin playing with it.

Yangyang opened the car door and looked at them with raised eyebrows.   
“Guys, what’s taking so long?” he asked, obviously trying not to laugh at Renjun’s ridiculous haircut. Renjun sighed.   
“Do you have a comb?” he asked. He was giving up completely. Yangyang’s devilish smile only made his feelings about this worse.  
“Better! I have a hair straightener and we will curl your hair with it.”   
“We will?” Renjun asked, his voice weak. Yangyang giggled.   
“Yeah. Jaemin, go order for us.”   
“Good luck, baby.” Jaemin kissed him on the head.   
“Thanks. Order me something good.”

Renjun got out of the car fifteen minutes later. He was still very impressed with Yangyang’s hairdressing abilities. And his battery-powered hair straightener. Renjun looked at his reflection and smiled, surprised. That was… A cute hairstyle, actually.   
“You have to teach me how to do that later.”

They got inside the restaurant. Jaemin, Jeno, and Mark were already seated. Jeno was talking to Mark, awkwardly staring at the table. Renjun rolled his eyes.   
“Go talk to Jeno, he looks like he’s dying,” he whispered to Yangyang. “We’re here, boys~”

Jaemin looked up and the widest smile lit up his face.   
“Baby!”   
“Hi, it’s me again.” Renjun rolled his eyes and sat down next to him. Jaemin wrapped his arm around the smaller boy’s waist.   
“You look so cute,” he whispered. “Ethereal.”   
Renjun’s cheeks were practically on fire. He hid his face in his boyfriend’s arm.   
“Stop…” he giggled.   
“Angelic. I’m in love with you,” Jaemin whispered into his hair.   
“Shut up. I’m in love with you, too.”

Yangyang threw something at them. A breadstick? Renjun sighed and lifted his head up.   
“Wanna die?” he hissed. His cousin giggled and threw another breadstick at him.   
“I’m sorry, but we’re all tired of you making out. Entertain us,” he said with a cute smile. Renjun looked at Jeno.   
“We tried to stop him,” Jeno whispered. “Can I still be your favorite ex?”   
“Gotta think about it now.” Renjun climbed onto his boyfriend’s lap and smiled. “Where’s the food? How long do we have to wait?”   
“15 minutes,” Jaemin said, furrowing his eyebrows. “Or 17 if something goes wrong.”   
“How do you know?” Mark asked.   
“Just guessing.”

Renjun sighed and looked at his companions. Yangyang was making a tower out of breadsticks, muttering something in German. Jeno was entertaining himself by taking out some breadsticks and making the tower collapse. Mark was laughing at them.   
“Here, take that one,” he said, guiding Jeno’s hand towards the chosen breadstick. Jeno blushed furiously. Yangyang caught their hands.   
“You are both evil criminals,” he said and took both of Jeno’s hands. “I don’t have handcuffs so I will improvise.”   
Jeno looked at him, wide-eyed. Yangyang smiled.   
“Renjun, feed me a breadstick.”

They got back home in the evening. Mark stopped the car.   
“Wait!” Renjun stopped them. “Let’s go through the story once again.”  
“We went camping.” Yangyang rolled his eyes. “It was fun.”   
“We were in the woods and we loved it,” Jaemin added.   
“Here are some pictures.” Yangyang pretended to take out his phone. Renjun nodded, satisfied.   
“We are ready to meet grandma. Thanks for the ride, Mark.”   
“No problem, kids. Take care.”   
The Chinese boy smiled at him, waved and got out.

Grandma was sitting in the kitchen, drinking tea and reading poetry. When they got inside, she stood up and looked at them.   
“How was your trip?” she asked calmly. Before Renjun could open his mouth, Yangyang started talking quickly.   
“We went to take some pictures.”  
Renjun closed his eyes. _Oh God._  
“I mean… We love camping. The woods are fun.”   
“They sure are, Yangyang,” grandma said and patted his cheek. “I won’t ask more questions.”

They decided to go and rest right after arriving. Grandma smiled at them, wished them good night and shot Jaemin a sinister look. Renjun led Jaemin to his bedroom.   
“Why doesn’t she like you? You’re cute, you were a great student…”   
“It might be a family thing. I mean… You know how my family runs a business.”   
“Yeah,” Renjun hummed. He’d never met Jaemin’s family, besides his grandparents. A few times.   
“They’re not really popular in China.”   
The smaller boy nodded and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s neck.   
“I don’t care about it,” he hummed. “About your family’s popularity, I mean. I love you.”   
Jaemin smiled and kissed him on the nose.   
“I love you more, angel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you liked it!!!!!   
> also shoutout to everyone rereading s1 now and analyzing ajklakjdelwkj  
> tt: xuxisearrings  
> cc: xiaodejun_


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy!!!!!!!

“Good morning, lesbians and lesbian allies,” Yangyang said, entering the bedroom.   
“Good morning to you too, Yangyang,” Renjun groaned, covering his eyes. “What are you doing in our bedroom again?”   
“I thought it’s your bedroom. It says _Renjunnie_ on the door.”   
“Fuck off,” Renjun said, opening his eyes. Jaemin was still hard asleep, as always. He was… cute. Amazing. Adorable.   
“Stop loving each other so much, it’s gross,” Yangyang said. “Grandma’s making breakfast, by the way.”   
“Oh, tasty,” Renjun hummed. “Go help, I’ll wake Sleeping Beauty up.”   
“Okie dokie. Don’t be gross,” Yangyang reminded him.

Renjun looked at his boyfriend and sighed, overcome with love all of a sudden. How could he not love his perfect boyfriend. He loved everything about him. The way his nose scrunched up, the way he smiled in his sleep, the little scar between his collarbones…   
Renjun lifted himself up and furrowed his eyebrows. He’s never seen that scar before, probably because Jaemin’s shirts were never this revealing. Now Jaemin seemed to be pulling on it by accident.

Renjun kissed the little scar. It made him worried. Anything that could hurt Jaemin worried him.   
“What are you doing?” the boy whispered, opening his eyes. Renjun jumped, surprised.   
“Waking you up,” he said with a wide smile. “Good morning. Grandma’s making breakfast and tonight we have a trip.”   
“Oh, I love those,” Jaemin hummed. “Love finding absolutely nothing during them.”   
“I actually saw something in the cabin… And I wanna tell you,” Renjun whispered. He felt all of his muscles tense up at the mere memory of what he’d seen in the mirror shard.

Jaemin wrapped his arms around Renjun’s small waist and kissed Renjun’s cheek in a way that made Renjun blush. A week had passed since their relationship became official. And still, he couldn’t believe his own luck.   
“It’s okay, Junnie. Nothing bad will happen to you. I’m with you here, and I will protect you. I would never let anything hurt you,” Jaemin whispered. Renjun bit his lip and nodded slowly.   
“When I took that mirror piece from the floor,” he whispered into Jaemin’s neck. “There was something behind me.”   
“Something like what? Yangyang in the dark?”   
Renjun shook his head. As much as he could, having his face pressed into Jaemin’s skin.   
“Something like… A fucking shadow person. With glowing, yellow eyes.”   
Jaemin looked at him, surprised. He wasn’t going to joke about it, Renjun knew that. Knew the serious look on Jaemin’s face.   
“Someone might have been there with us,” he said. “If that’s the case, we dodged a bullet.”   
“You’ve said that in like last 2 cases, too. Someone’s following us?”   
“Unlikely,” Jaemin hummed. Renjun bit his lip.  
“Will you call me irrational?”   
“Never, baby.”

The smaller boy took a deep breath and looked away.   
“That figure… It had horns.”   
“You think it was… A real demon?” Jaemin asked softly, playing with his hair. Renjun closed his eyes.   
“I changed my mind. Please, call me irrational. If you start believing in this… It will be the end of Huang Renjun.”   
Jaemin smiled and petted his hair.   
“Don’t worry, baby. If that helps you, you were extremely sleep deprived. Probably you saw Yangyang, some camera lights and equipment… And your tired brain did the rest.”

Renjun sighed and looked into his boyfriend’s eyes.   
“Thanks, baby,” he hummed.   
“I’m not baby. You’re baby.   
“Oh? Who are you then?” Renjun tackled him, giggling.   
“Jaemin!”   
“Wrong!” The smaller boy started showering his boyfriend with kisses and pecks all over his face. Jaemin just giggled.   
“Who am I then?”   
“You are. The prettiest boy on Earth. My love. My sunshine, if you will.”   
Jaemin looked at him, surprised by all these words. His eyes welled up with tears. Renjun looked at him.   
“What’s happening, Nana? Did I say something wrong?”   
“No,” Jaemin whispered, pulling him closer. “I just love you so much.”   
“And I love you more.”

Yangyang kicked the door open and looked at them with disbelief.   
“I told you not to be gross,” he said, looking at Renjun, who only laughed.   
“Apologies, Yangyang, but I can’t not be gross if I have the most beautiful boy-“   
“Zip it,” his cousin interrupted him. “I am not willing to hear that. I invited Jeno so he can eat breakfast with us and hopefully sit between you two.”   
“Why?” Renjun rolled his eyes.   
“So you loverboys don’t eat each other’s faces instead of the breakfast.”

Jaemin laughed, sitting up and combing his fingers through his hair. His movements were slow, he was still a bit sleepy. But his smile was… Sinister. Renjun smiled. _It’s over for Yangyang._  
“Interesting. I thought you would like to sit next to Jeno instead.”  
The Chinese boy opened his eyes wider.   
“Why would I?” he said quickly. “Jeno? Please. What’s so special and seatable about Lee Jeno?”   
“You don’t have to sit _on_ Lee Jeno, though?” Renjun giggled.   
“Unless you want to, of course,” Jaemin giggled. Yangyang sprinted to the door.   
“Get dressed, you gross people,” he said, ignoring the last comment. “Bye-bye. I’m gonna go and be a good person.”

Renjun got up and looked in the mirror.   
“I’m gonna take a quick shower.”   
“Okay. And… Renjun?”   
“Yeah?”   
“I love you,” Jaemin said softly, looking up at him. “And I’m really so grateful and so happy to be close to you.”   
“You are impossible,” Renjun whispered and kissed him.

When they got downstairs, grandma, Yangyang, and Jeno were already sitting together. Looking at them with various expressions. Yangyang’s face was doing impossible things to show disgust but also amusement. Jeno was smiling, clearly happy for the couple. Grandma deadpanned in Jaemin’s direction.   
“Sit down, boys,” she finally said. “The breakfast won’t eat itself now, will it?”  
“Hi,” Jeno waved at them. He was sitting next to Yangyang, clearly trying to ignore him. The Chinese boy was using this opportunity to steal Jeno’s pancakes.   
“Yangyang, you have your own,” grandma scolded him. He only shrugged.   
“Stolen food tastes better.”   
That conversation grabbed Jeno’s attention. He turned to Yangyang’s direction.   
“Hey! My pancake!”   
“No longer yours,” Yangyang said, stuffing his face with the pancake. “Sorry, honey, that’s how the business works.”   
“I’m going to strangle you.”

Renjun laughed nervously. He knew how protective of his food Jeno could be. He put his hand on Jeno’s arm.   
“Jen! How fun it is that you’re here today! My favorite ex!”   
“Stop encouraging him,” Jaemin said, rolling his eyes. Jeno smiled and passed Renjun the pancakes.

Grandma looked at them, furrowing her eyebrows. She was clearly trying to make them feel guilty, and Renjun already knew what about.   
“So, you boys are going somewhere today. Again,” she said. “Care to tell me where?”   
“Oh, just a bit of travelling,” Renjun said. “Keeps the mind sharp.”   
“Renjun actually works as a journalist,” Jeno added with a smile. “He sometimes writes for travel magazines about hotels and different things like that.”   
“You’ve never mentioned that,” Grandma said, furrowing her eyebrows again. Yangyang looked at Renjun, surprised as well.   
“Yeah, I’m a freelancer. So I don’t have a stable income. But I do work as a journalist, yeah.” 

“Who’s driving us today? Mark or Hyuck?” Jeno asked, trying to somehow hide the fear and excitement in his voice. Renjun smiled mysteriously. _Oh, you’ll see._  
“It’s a surprise, Jeno. Don’t be so impatient about this.”   
“Okay, sorry.”   
“Pack for the night, it’s going to be an eventful one.”

After the breakfast had ended and everything got cleaned up, Jaemin went to pack himself and Jeno went to his editing room, followed by a very amused Yangyang.   
Grandma looked at Renjun and raised her eyebrows.   
“You should give Jeno another chance.”   
Renjun choked on his water. He looked at her with wide eyes. _He should what._  
“Grandma,” he said slowly, biting his lip. “I don’t like him. And he likes someone else.”   
“He’s a good boy. And that Jaemin…”   
That was it for Renjun. She hadn’t been subtle about it, not at all. He suspected she wanted to speak to Jaemin, too. So he looked at her with anger in his eyes.   
“I love Jaemin. I’ve known him since high school. We’ve lived together for three years and he’s the best roommate I can have. And the best boyfriend I could ever ask for,” he said coldly. “He’s a literal angel who helped me when I was in a really bad place mentally. He loves me and I love him more than anything. So this is the last I’ll hear of it.”   
Grandma looked at him and nodded.   
“I’m sorry,” she finally said. “We will not speak of it again.”   
“Thank you,” Renjun said and washed his glass. “I’m going to go and pack.”

He entered Jaemin’s room first. He wanted to put on a hoodie that smelled good.   
“If my grandma tells you something stupid, please, tell me,” he said, reaching for Jaemin’s biggest, comfiest hoodie. “And I will not speak to her ever.”   
“You’re so dramatic,” Jaemin kissed him on the nose. “I’m taking that hoodie.”  
“You’re not,” Renjun hummed and put it on. Jaemin giggled.   
“She’s already done it. I mean, talked to me. About how I am the wrong man for you and you deserve more than me… And stuff.”   
“ _What,”_ Renjun hissed, his blood boiling. Something about Jaemin’s face was fifty times more heartbreaking than the fact that his grandma betrayed him. Well, she’d done it before the talk.   
“I mean… In some aspects, she’s right. There are probably at least five boys she knows in China who could give you life in peace and…”   
“One more word and I’m going to karate kid you,” Renjun whispered and wrapped his arms around Jaemin’s neck. “Don’t be stupid. Do you think I care for five Chinese boys?”   
“Do you?” Jaemin asked weakly. Renjun rolled his eyes and kissed Jaemin’s bottom lip.   
“I don’t. I love one boy, and his name is Na Jaemin. He’s a dumbass who doesn’t believe in ghosts. A caffeine addict. Do you know him?”   
“Think I do, yeah.”

They got out of the house and Renjun smiled. Donghyuck’s red car was there. And Hyuck was there, too.   
“Mark is watching the hell children,” he said with a smile. “Oh, who’s that?”   
“That’s my cousin, Yangyang,” Renjun said and took his hand out. Hyuck threw him the keys.   
“Hello, Yangyang. I’m Donghyuck. People call me Haechan sometimes.”   
Yangyang smiled at him.   
“ _Full Sun._ Suits you. You’re very pretty.”   
“Oh, thanks.” Donghyuck blushed. Jeno bit his lip.

Everyone packed their bags into the trunk.   
“Wait, why are you taking the keys?” Jaemin asked, looking at Renjun with furrowed eyebrows.   
“Surprise, loverboy,” Renjun said. “Guess who has a driving license.”

They got into the car and Renjun smiled into the car mirror.   
“Who’s ready to go to the murder motel!”   
“To go _WHERE?_ ” Jeno screeched. Renjun started the car.   
“Wahoo!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wahoo  
> tt: xuxisearrings  
> cc: xiaodejun_


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy!! uwu  
> shoutout to @booksmusicmovies who wanted a little jaelousy (jaemin jealousy)

The car ride was… Stressful. Not only was it Renjun’s first time driving with so many people, he could also feel Jaemin’s stare burn into his skull. He didn’t let the stress show, though. Jeno pointed a camera at him.   
“Well, talk to us.”   
“I’m _driving,_ Jeno. Hello, everyone! It’s Renjun and guess what! You guys believed in me and I actually got a driving license.”   
“I still have no idea how that happened,” Donghyuck whispered.   
“Oh, and that’s Donghyuck. He was driving us to the doll museum and today he makes a great comeback.”   
Hyuck smiled and threw a peace sign.   
“What’s up!”   
“Jun? _Murder motel?_ ” Jaemin said, raising his eyebrows.   
“Well, you know how it is. I won’t tell you anything until we arrive. And that’s soon, don’t worry. The only thing I can tell you… We’re getting one room, but we have to squeeze in. I mean, technically, I rented two. But I really don’t feel like splitting up for the night.” Renjun bit his lip. The mere thought of leaving Yangyang, Jeno, and Hyuck… No, no. The ghosts were too scary. Donghyuck was too dangerous. He’d do something stupid probably.

He also didn’t want Jeno to feel awkward. That way it would feel more like a sleepover. A group one.   
They drove in silence, interrupted by Yangyang asking Donghyuck about various things. He showed a special interest in his knowledge of tarot and Ouija boards.   
“We tried holding a séance like this in the cabin, but we left, you saw it, right?”  
“Yeah, I did. I have to admit, it was indescribably dangerous. I have no idea how did it happen. How you left it without saying goodbye at first? That’s the basics.”   
“I _know_ ,” Renjun sighed. “But you’ll see today. It’s interesting out there. And by interesting I mean _scary as fuck.”_  
“Well, wasn’t that encouraging,” Yangyang giggled.

They drove like that. Then Donghyuck played a ‘scary playlist’ and Renjun wasn’t the one to get scared of music, but… That was scary.   
“Where did you even get that music taste from?” he asked when the playlist got to yet another weird Russian song. Haechan just smiled at him.   
“Focus on the road, Junnie,” he hummed and patted his cheek.   
“Hey,” Jaemin said from the backseat. “Touch your own boyfriend, huh?”   
“Sorry, Nana, didn’t know you were so jealous.”   
“Well, be aware now,” Jaemin hummed, furrowing his eyebrows. Renjun rolled his eyes. Jaemin did have that weird jealousy thing sometimes.   
“Sorry, it’s his caveman speaking.”   
“I don’t _have_ an inner caveman,” Jaemin whispered, rolling his eyes.  
“Didn’t say anything about an _inner_ caveman, honey.” Renjun laughed.

He parked the car and got outside to take a first look at the motel. The building was very old and made him feel uneasy. Not only because of all of the horrible things he was going to talk about. It was also about the _dirt._ Renjun could only imagine in absolute disgust how full of bugs and rats the thing must have been.   
“Oh, it looks cute,” Yangyang said. “Instagrammable.”   
“Definitely. Once I tell you its story, we’ll see.”  
“Well, it can’t be that bad?” Yangyang shrugged.

They got inside with their bags. Jeno stayed outside for a few more seconds to take pretty pictures and some good shots of the building. Renjun sighed and came up to the reception desk.   
“Hi,” he said. “I have a reservation? My name’s Huang Renjun.”   
“Yeah,” the girl behind the desk said, playing with her phone. Renjun sighed.   
“I _really_ would appreciate if we could get into the room quickly. I’m very sleepy,” he said, putting on his best ‘little innocent boy’ act. The girl looked up from her phone and smiled slightly.   
“Oh, that’s sad,” she said. Renjun sighed, making a cute face.   
“Yeah, and my friends are ungrateful. I drove the whole way.”

As always, the pretty face and the cute act got him the keys. He thanked the girl with a smile. They headed to the room. Jaemin grabbed Renjun’s hand.   
“That was unfair,” he whispered, his cheeks slightly red. The jealousy seemed to be eating him. Renjun intertwined their fingers.   
“I’m sorry, baby. I just needed those keys.” He climbed on his tiptoes and kissed Jaemin’s cheek with a smile. His boyfriend hugged him tightly.   
“Don’t do that,” he sighed. “You’re _mine._ ”   
Renjun giggled. He didn’t mind that, at all.   
“Okay, Mr Caveman.”

They got into the room after Jeno filmed it. Renjun didn’t really feel like sitting on the bed. Yangyang didn’t have any issues and he sprawled across it. Renjun rolled his eyes and looked into the camera.   
“Hi! We’re here at the murder motel… That’s not the official name… At the Five Roses Motel. With us today our special guests… Haechan, who you already know and love, and Yangyang, who you already know.”  
“Hey!” Yangyang screamed from the bed. Jeno giggled. Renjun brushed a hand through his hair.   
“And with me, my dear partner in investigation…”   
“That is to prove that ghosts are bullshit,” Jaemin said with a smile. "Hi, everyone. Renjun, will you _please_ tell us what went down here. Now, please. Before I get gray hair.”

Renjun sat on a chair and took out his folder. He stopped carrying the whole binder, it was too heavy.   
“The motel’s history hadn’t been interesting. Built in the 1980s, it served its purpose for a few years. Until it didn’t. They say it was a doing of a cult that disturbed the calm of the motel once and for all. In 1996, a group of young people checked in. No one suspected anything. They were calm and nice to the staff. The police later established that they were a part of a cult focused on animals and animalistic roots of humans.”

“It’s always the calm and nice people,” Jaemin said. “First the Cabin of Screams poet, now the cool teens… Just don’t trust nice and not suspicious people.”  
“Does that mean Yangyang is actually the most trustworthy person here?” Jeno asked. Renjun giggled and his cousin said _hey!_ again.

“Anyway. We are now in the very room those events took place years ago. No one knows exactly what happened here. What we do know is that when the young people didn’t leave the room in the morning, the staff called the cops. They opened the door to a view of dead, massacred bodies and a broken window. The number of bodies matched the number of people who came to the motel the night before, but the window and the fact that _all of them_ were dead suggested an outsider taking part in this. The bodies were damaged with an animalistic force and the investigation showed that some of them killed the others. But the bodies were all laid out on the beds neatly, and a single unidentified handprint was found. Years have passed and no one knows who the handprint belongs to. Bad things started happening. Two other, single murders were committed in the neighboring rooms. People hear screams, animal noises and feel sudden waves of aggression in the room.” Renjun closed his folder. “And here we are today, ready to check if we can attract the ghosts who spend their time here.”

Yangyang’s face was slightly green.   
“Where did you say the bodies were found..?”   
“Oh, piled up on the beds. There were four in total.”   
The boy screeched and jumped off the bed into Jeno’s arms.   
“Protect me!”   
“I’m holding the camera,” Jeno sighed but wrapped one of his arms around the boy protectively. “Just be quiet, okay?”   
“I was on a ghost bed!”

Renjun smiled and took a sip of water.   
“No worries, Yang. I think they changed the beds after it happened,” he said.   
“They didn’t,” Jaemin murmured, looking through the file he’d taken from Renjun. “It’s the exact same bed. Look at the markings.”   
Renjun looked in the bed’s direction.

 _Zap._  
Darkness. Yangyang squealed and Renjun clung to Jaemin.   
“The electricity’s out,” the latter said.   
“No shit, Sherlock,” Yangyang hissed.   
“Anyone else heard that?” Donghyuck asked, looking for a flashlight.   
Renjun did.

The doorknob rattled again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy the fear

“What the _fuck_ was that,” Haechan whispered. Renjun just closed his eyes and squeezed Jaemin’s hand.   
“Maybe it’s just the wind,” Jeno said.   
“I can’t believe my ears,” Renjun muttered. “I thought you were my favorite ex.”   
They fell silent. The doorknob was rattling for a second more and then stopped. But the electricity was not coming back.

They lit up more flashlights and Renjun got to look at his friends. Yangyang was almost sitting on Jeno, who was desperately trying to get some good material. Donghyuck was just holding something…   
“Hyuck, is that a fucking knife?” Jaemin whispered.   
“It might be. What about it,” Haechan said, holding the knife closer to him. “I love my knife.”   
“Oh. Okay. That’s a normal thing to say, sure,” Renjun hissed and let go of Jaemin’s hand slowly. He _had to_ check out who was on the other side. He approached the door and looked through the keyhole.

Nothing. There was no one there, no one in the corridor, either. He sighed and turned around. He almost jumped, scared. The lighting made his friends look scary. Only Jaemin looked like he was just mildly annoyed. Renjun joined him and sat down.   
“I’m scared,” Yangyang said. Jeno said something that sounded like _we’ve noticed._ Donghyuck smiled and held out a hand for Yangyang to grab.   
“It’s okay. We’re here with you,” he said softly. Renjun raised an eyebrow but didn’t say a word. Instead, he focused on taking out his favorite piece of equipment.

“Guess who’s back,” he hummed. Jaemin rolled his eyes.   
“The spirit bitch. We _know,”_ he whispered. Renjun sighed properly and put the box on the bed.   
“Hello. Our names are Renjun, Jaemin, Yangyang, Donghyuck, and Jeno,” he said. “I’m not asking to say all of them back because it’s a lot, but one or two would be cool, I think. What are your names? Why are you haunting this motel? Who killed you?”   
“You’re giving the ghosts a headache, babe,” Jaemin sighed, looking at his boyfriend with amusement. Renjun smile was pale. He felt stressed, as always. The white noise filled the air and he was already losing hope.   
“ **Bark.** ”   
Jaemin started giggling.   
“Okay. Furry,” he choked out. Yangyang laughed. Renjun and Donghyuck exchanged exhausted looks.   
“Well, bark at you, too,” Donghyuck said. “Wasn’t that an animalistic cult you were in? That explains some things.”   
“ **Fuck off.** ”   
“Oh, now. Play nice,” Renjun furrowed his eyebrows. That wasn’t ideal. It seemed to be something hostile. And, once again, Jaemin was making fun of it.   
“Or what? You’ll bark at us again?” he giggled, leaning over the spirit box.   
“ **Kill you.** ”   
“I’d love to see you try. But you won’t. You’re just a fucking _box.”_

Renjun really felt like he needed to lie down. That was… Dangerous. His boyfriend was just outright playing with fire at this point.  
“Nana,” he hissed.   
“No worries, baby. The evil box has no power over me. For what is my body if not an eviler box?”   
“That’s not a word, right, Jeno?”   
“It’s not,” Jeno confirmed. “Yangyang, maybe you talk to the box. Isn’t Germany famous for furries? You’ll get along with the ghost perfectly.”   
“I’m not a furry?” Yangyang said, looking at him. He looked pretty offended.   
“Aren’t you? You got my snapchat and you only send me cat filter pics.”   
Renjun sighed. That was too much information. Definitely too much.   
“I just think that everything would be so much better if I actually got to have cat ears,” Yangyang said. “Also, my snapchat is an exclusive club. You should be grateful.”   
“Oh, I want in,” Donghyuck said. Jeno raised his eyebrows.   
“It’s an exclusive club, calm down,” he whispered. “Talk to the box, Yang.”

Yangyang got up and came up to the box. He took a deep breath. Renjun realized he is not breathing himself. He was just too stressed.   
“Hi, ghosts. Mind telling us what’s up. Throw in an _arf arf_ or something if that’s more of your thing. Or a _nya._ ”  
“I changed my mind, don’t ever speak again,” Jeno whispered. They sat in silence for a few seconds, watching the box and listening to the white noise. Renjun was feeling weird again. Not the normal kind of anxious, the one that was coming from the outside. Renjun _hated_ that one. It was as if someone kept whispering scary things right into his ear.

And then the box meowed.   
It was a real, cat-like meow. Followed by a few others. And then a short scream.   
And then it suddenly fell completely silent.   
“The battery is down,” Renjun whispered. Jeno furrowed his eyebrows.   
“We changed it yesterday?”   
“I _know,_ Jen. I know.”   
The window rattled.

Jaemin sighed and looked around, making sure to check all the corners with a flashlight. Renjun was shaking a little bit. It didn’t feel like his imagination anymore. How was Jaemin so calm all the time? That was just impossible for Renjun. And for Yangyang, apparently. He was still clinging to Jeno. Haechan was still holding Yangyang’s hand. That was an interesting image.

“Okay. Let’s play my favorite game,” Jaemin hummed and put two flashlights next to each other. “Hey, ghosts. If you’re here, turn on the flashlights.”   
Nothing. Renjun let out a sigh of relief. Maybe there was nothing to stress about.   
“If you’d like to murder us like you were murdered, turn on the light.”   
The light stream was so bright and sudden it made Renjun scream in horror.   
“Okay, cool,” Jaemin hummed. “If you want to go to FurryCon with Yangyang, turn the right one off.”   
Nothing, nothing. And then the light turned off. Jaemin giggled.   
“That’s science, no ghost bullshit.”

Haechan came closer and smiled.   
“My turn. Ghosts, if you’d like us out of here, dead or alive, turn the lights off.”   
Nothing happened. He shrugged.   
“Guess we’re staying. Are you afraid of me?”   
Left one still shining.   
“Of Renjun?”   
Nothing.   
“Jaemin?”   
All of the lights turned off. Renjun looked around quickly. That wasn’t normal.

“The batteries were new,” he whispered. Jeno cursed under his breath.   
“Get the little cameras checked. The big one’s not working. Fucking ghosts. Who do you think you are? I’m gonna start breaking _your_ stuff.”   
“Please, don’t,” Yangyang whispered, hugging him even more tightly.

Renjun checked everything out.   
“Nothing’s working,” he finally said. And then he heard it.   
Steps outside. Running, but it sounded like a small person was doing it. He took a shaky breath.   
“I’m not checking that out,” he whispered. Haechan looked through the keyhole.   
“Nothing.”   
But the steps were there.   
“Jaemin, you hear them, don’t you?” Renjun whispered, intertwining their fingers.   
“It’s the plumbing, calm down, honey,” Jaemin said softly. “Nothing bad will happen to you.”

They all were silent, trying to catch every sound. Jeno managed to get one camera running. The steps were loud and clear. The air smelled of dust and something else, something much worse. The sudden change of smell made Renjun feel nauseous. He closed his eyes and just held Jaemin’s hand, thinking about all of the bad decisions that had led him to the moment he was in.   
“Someone’s crying,” Yangyang said, his voice shaky. “Behind the wall.”   
“That’s impossible. These rooms are not used,” Jaemin said. “It was written in the file.”

And yet, the quiet sobs were very present. Renjun bit his lip and decided to risk it all.   
“Hello?” he asked and knocked on the wall. The crying got louder. And louder.  
And it stopped.

“I hate it here,” Yangyang whispered. Renjun nodded. It was worse than the Cabin. They were trapped. The mere thought made him want to run. But then again, the steps outside… He looked at Jaemin, who was now sitting perfectly still, with his eyebrows furrowed.   
“We have to check out the other room,” Jaemin finally said, lifting his head up. “That person could be dying. We can’t just sit there.”   
“But the ghosts?” Yangyang squealed. Renjun took the heaviest flashlight.   
“Jaemin’s right. We’ll check it out,” he said, trying not to let his voice betray him. “We can’t just ignore that. It could be a person’s safety.”   
Jeno nodded and helped Yangyang get up. He whispered something in the boy’s ear. They took all of the equipment and got out.

The hallway was empty and dark. There were no lamps of any kind. The window was covered. The wallpaper was slightly torn. And Renjun definitely heard steps somewhere near. But he held Jaemin’s hand, trying to focus on how well he knew martial arts. And how Jaemin promised he’d keep him safe.

Donghyuck knocked on the door. He tried doing it a few times. No answer.   
“Okay, let me handle it,” Renjun sighed and kicked the door open. His leg hurt like hell, but he felt like it was necessary. The door opened, revealing a void. Renjun raised his flashlight and gasped, terrified.

The room was empty. Or its inhabitant hid themselves somewhere. The bed was unmade and there were weird, dark red or brownish stains on the floor and on the sheets. Renjun looked around. And then he saw a mirror.

A shadow was standing behind him again, tall, winged and terrifying.

Renjun screamed.

“And what are _you_ doing here?”  
He turned around. The receptionist was looking at them. There was no sympathy in her eyes. No, she was furious.   
“We… We just…”   
“We heard noises,” Jaemin said. “Like crying. We decided to check it out in case anyone was getting hurt.”   
The woman looked at them, even angrier.   
“Well, I’ll have the security guards look into that. But disrupting the peace and breaking in… I will have to ask you to leave the premises.”   
“What!” Donghyuck looked at her. “We were _trying to help._ Did you want someone to die in here?”   
“What happens in the rooms is no one’s business. You should’ve let me know at the desk. But you didn’t, and you’ve broken the hotel rules. You should be happy I’m not calling the cops.”   
“Well, wait until _I_ call the…”   
“We’re leaving,” Renjun said, grabbing Donghyuck’s shirt. He was very afraid the knife would become visible. That could get Hyuck imprisoned. And they didn’t want _that._

They got into the car and Renjun took a shaky breath. He looked into the camera.   
“That was the Five Roses motel. We’ve been thrown out. Is it haunted? I say: definitely.”   
“I say: no way in hell,” Jaemin rolled his eyes.

Renjun looked back, at the window belonging to the room they’d broken into.   
It was now wide open.

He drove back home fast as ever.                         

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you liked it!  
> tt: xuxisearrings  
> cc: xiaodejun_


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy a special chapter

“That place was fucked up. Like… Majorly,” Renjun sighed. Jaemin rolled his eyes.  
“Good morning to you too, Renjunnie. Slept well?”  
“No,” he groaned, rolling over. “I just keep thinking… What if someone was dying there? Like, really? And we didn’t do anything?”  
“Nothing like that happened, I promise. I’ve had a friend of mine check it out. She’s a private detective.”

Renjun lifted himself up on his elbows and looked at Jaemin with furrowed eyebrows.  
“A detective, huh? That’s sexy,” he said, trying not to show his jealousy too much. Of course, he was miserably failing.  
“Baby. She’s a friend.”  
“How come I’ve never heard of her?” Renjun sighed, laying his head on his boyfriend’s chest. “Not fair. I want to know a private detective.”  
Jaemin laughed and ruffled his hair.  
“One day I’ll introduce you, I promise. Now let’s just get up.”  
“Okay. I can live with that.”

Jaemin entered the kitchen. He just wanted an afternoon snack, was it too much to ask for? Apparently. Because there were things in the kitchen. Two cameras. Lights. And… Make-up bags?  
“Hi, Nana,” Renjun giggled. “Welcome to a surprise video set!”  
“Jun. I need some explanations, and I need them right now.”

But Renjun had already sat him down and looked at Jeno, who was behind their best camera.  
“Welcome to our special video.” He spread out his arms with an evil smile. “You’ve heard of Boyfriend _does my make up._ You’ve heard of goth makeovers. Welcome to Renjun and Jaemin’s _Boyfriend does my goth makeover!_ ”  
“I hate this idea,” Jaemin said, but he couldn’t stop himself from smiling. Renjun was so cute when he wanted to do something so badly. “What am I supposed to do?”  
“Well, let me explain. I borrowed all of Hyuck’s makeup. I mean I texted him and he didn’t text back because he’s playing soccer… But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t let me…”  
“Of course.”  
“And first, you’re doing my special goth make up. And then I’ll do you.”  
“Yes, please.”  
“Jaemin!” Renjun blushed. He took out all of the tools. “So, without further ado… Here you go, Nana. Make me beautiful.”  
“You already are beautiful,” Jaemin said and stole a quick kiss. “I cannot do anything to make you more perfect.”  
Jeno threw an empty coke bottle at him.

Renjun just closed his eyes and relaxed. He had no idea what was his boyfriend’s plan. But he did want to see the result and not stress, so he sat there with his eyes closed and hopes high. He felt the hopes plummet the second Jaemin took out the first make-up article.  
“What the fuck is that?” he heard his boyfriend say. Jeno sighed.  
“It literally says _brow powder_ on the lid. Learn to fucking read, Jaemin. Am I your mother?”  
“My mother is much nicer and she never swears,” Jaemin answered. “I’m going to give you an awesome mustache, Renjunnie.”  
“I hate this idea already,” he whispered but closed his mouth upon feeling a brush tickle his upper lip. He would’ve looked at Jaemin in disappointment if he could.

Instead, he just let Jaemin do whatever the fuck he wanted. There were some points where Renjun thought he’d lose it - like when he felt lipstick under his eyes - but he allowed Jaemin to express himself. He knew the revenge would be very sweet.  
“Do you have pierced ears?” Jaemin suddenly asked.  
“No..?”  
“Can I pierce them now?”  
“No!” Renjun squealed. His boyfriend laughed and got back to doing his make-up.  
“And now… I watched beauty gurus, I can do it… Setting powder. We put it on so it… sets. Oh, oops. I hope that t-shirt wasn’t that important to you.”  
“ _Jaemin,_ ” Renjun hissed, fighting with himself to keep his eyes closed. And then he felt something on his ears. “What the fuck?”  
“I’m painting some earrings on you.”  
“Very normal.”

Finally, when Jaemin stopped, Renjun decided it was time. He waited a few more seconds for an announcement. But he didn’t get one. Instead, he heard his boyfriend gasp for air between laughing fits.  
“Jaemin? Are you done?” he finally asked.  
“I’m… Oh _fucking hell,”_ Jaemin wheezed. Renjun opened his eyes and looked at Jeno, who was crying from laughter. He then shot Jaemin a disapproving look and took a mirror.

He looked like a clown. That was the only way to put it. He was a goth clown. He had some black, oddly shaped mustache… “Star”-shaped earrings… Half-black, half-red lips and black lines under his eyes. The amount of white foundation and a weird pentagram thing on his left eyelid completed the awful look.  
Renjun collapsed onto the floor, giggling.  
“Oh, I’m getting you for that!” he managed to finally say. He took a few selfies, sent them to Hyuck and Chenle, and then sat Jaemin down.

Doing Jaemin’s makeup was fun. Renjun decided to go fully goth clown on him. _Literally._ He was very much enjoying it. He even sat in Jaemin’s lap to make sure his work is top tier.  
He grabbed his boyfriend’s hair to stabilize his head.

There were two weird things growing out of Jaemin’s head.  
“Nana?” Renjun whispered, furrowing his eyebrows and touching them.  
“I hit myself. Accidentally. I fell down the stairs.” Jaemin blushed under the clown make-up. “I thought it wasn’t serious.”  
“Oh. You should’ve told me, idiot,” the Chinese boy hissed, massaging his head slowly. Jaemin’s smile was pale.

Again, an empty bottle hit them.  
“Stop being so cutesy with each other!” Jeno demanded.  
“You know, he _is_ my boyfriend,” Renjun giggled and kissed the top of Jaemin’s head. _Adorable._

 _“_ Can I look now?” Jaemin sighed after five more minutes. Renjun laughed. What a perfect clown.  
“Yeah,” Jeno said, giggling.  
Jaemin was not amused. He pretended not to be, anyway. But the smile in the pictures and the way he kissed Renjun after the recording was done meant more than anything else.

“Wait, wait…” Renjun giggled, stopping yet another kiss. Jeno looked at him, thankful.  
“Yeah, wait until I leave. Please.”  
“No, I was going to make an announcement,” he said. “Well, sadly, my job has been kicking my ass recently and we can’t do a video next week. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be one!”  
“It doesn’t?” Jeno sighed.  
“Jeno and Yangyang are taking you guys on a special episode. So stay tuned and see how the two of them will manage to survive… In the haunted maze.”  
“That’s not a thing,” Jeno whispered. Renjun smiled at him.

“Oh, it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading stream boom by nct dream for good summer  
> tt: xuxisearrings


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jadhjkhfdksjh enjoy!!  
> EDIT: also my amazing friend @markhyuckstea is writing an sf9 fic similar to that!!! and they both happen in the same universe so 👀👀👀 be prepared for some things to come out of that! check it out here -> https://archiveofourown.org/works/20127253

Jeno wasn’t liking it at all.

Mark gave them a lift and it was a silent ride. There was something both awkward and ominous about going to a haunted location without Jaemin’s stupid ghost comments, Renjun’s constant explaining or refusing to explain, and the couple’s cute little acts. The car felt empty and Jeno tried not to look at Mark every ten seconds. It all was so _stupid._

And then, somehow sensing the awkward energy surrounding them, Yangyang woke up from his little nap.  
“If we get attacked, we have to get some solid proof,” he yawned. “I don’t wanna die for nothing.”  
“You won’t _die,_ dumbass,” Jeno said, rolling his eyes.  
“How do you know? Would you sacrifice yourself to save me?”  
“What kind of question is that?”

Yangyang smiled at him innocently.  
“Do you have any snacks?” he asked, reaching for Jeno’s bag. The cameraman quickly moved it away.  
“Hey! We talked about this! Expensive equipment, kid!”  
“I’m your age, don’t be an asshole,” Yangayang pouted and looked at Mark. “You’re my only hope. Do we have any snacks?”

They got out of the car and Jeno looked at the building. It looked like it was going to fall apart any moment now, with its walls looking _very_ old and fragile.  
“Shit,” Yangyang said with a perfect Korean accent. He was the best at cursing.  
“Looks dangerous,” Jeno sighed. “I’m kind of not a fan.”  
“I love it. Looks like it’s gonna fall apart any moment now,” Yangyang announced and took out his camera, borrowed from Jeno. Then he looked into the ‘main’ camera. Jeno pressed the record button.

“Hi, everyone! We’re here today in the world’s most beautiful city,” Yangyang said with a huge smile. The parking lot was empty besides mountains of trash. The streetlamp flickered. Jeno snorted.  
“You were saying?”  
“Yeah… My dearest cousin and his boyfriend decided to go on a honeymoon…”  
“They’re working.”  
“Shut up, Jeno, I’m doing the intro. Anyway! Jaemin and Renjun sent us here on a solo mission and I’m 100% sure it’s because they want us to sacrifice ourselves…”  
“Maybe they want to get rid of you. They wouldn’t do that to _me,_ I’m the camera dude. And Renjun’s favorite ex,” Jeno pointed out. Yangyang made a strangling gesture towards him.  
“If I were Renjun, I would hate you for mentioning that alone.”  
“Good thing you’re not Renjun, then. He has _taste._ ”  
“And I have looks,” Yangyang smiled to the camera. “Hi, Renjun, if you’re watching this, I love you. You’re my favorite cousin!”  
“Bastard,” Jeno said under his breath. “Let’s find a place to film the story.”

They sat down on a staircase leading up to a bright orange door with a HORROR MAZE plaque on it. Everything was quiet and Yangyang tried his best to get some good lighting. Of course, after all of his struggle, Jeno smiled and took out a few compact camera lights.  
“Wow, I hate you,” Yangyang whispered. “Okay, so here we are. No one was killed in the maze, that we’re aware of. Bummer.”  
“Truly,” Jeno snorted.  
“But! The house itself has some stories to tell. It’s said that two workers died during constructions, and the building housed mainly old people, so… Lots of death here. A young girl also fell out of the window. Some say she committed suicide but it’s not really… Widely discussed. The maze itself was created by an elderly couple who wanted to entertain the kids in the neighborhood. The plan backfired, the maze has been deemed too dangerous and terrifying. Adults started going there, wanting to see how scary it really was. Some said it was too much even for a mature person. But people recalled effects the couple did not plan. They invited a priest… Yadda yadda…”  
“ _Yangyang._ ”  
“Sorry. They invited the priest who said there’s a fuckload of ghosts in there. Trapped in the maze. He said things like this make ghosts feel lost. Make them _stay._ So today we’re going to check out if the ghosts are there. And, hopefully, get lost and haunted.”

Jeno stopped recording. Yangyang sighed and looked at him.  
“How was it? Did I fuck up?”  
“No..?” Jeno raised his eyebrow. And then he remembered Yangyang was doing double work here. “Your Korean is great. No one would notice you’re not a native speaker.”  
“Really?” Yangyang smiled.  
“Really. What are you holding there?”  
Yangyang showed him a book. And Jeno knew the cover. He knew it too well.

It said _Mazes and Labyrinths_ in blood-red letters. Under the title, a red round maze.  
No author’s name.

“Where did you get that?” he asked, furrowing his eyebrows. He’d spent _lots_ of time thinking about that book.  
“Renjun gave me that, he said we might need it.”  
“He gave you one of the most cursed books in his possession? He wants us to die, huh?”  
“I bet he has some more cursed books than we could possibly imagine,” Yangyang said casually and stood up. “Let’s go find some ghosts, huh?”  
“Yeah,” Jeno said, pressing on the doorknob. “What a great idea.”

They turned on their flashlights and cameras and got inside. Yangyang smiled.  
“We have permission, we’re not breaking in,” he said, looking into the camera. “The old couple gave us the key. Hopefully, they won’t kill us.”  
“If you’re out there to kill, kill Yangyang!” Jeno shouted into the darkness. He heard Yangyang snort. And then silence.

The flashlight cast light on a big cutout of a clown, standing in front of velvet curtains. The whole place smelled like dust and old people. Jeno sighed and looked around. He could see absolutely nothing else. Just dust, curtains, clowns, pale Yangyang…  
“What, are you scared already?”  
“Shut up. Let’s go inside and see what else they have in there for us. You know, except Bobo, the giant murder clown.”  
Jeno moved the curtain aside and held it, waiting for Yangyang to get in. The other boy rolled his eyes and got in.

The walls were made of mirrors. Jeno almost jumped in fear when he saw two figures in front of them. Yangyang giggled.  
“What, are you scared already?” he said in the most mocking tone possible, while looking around. “Oh, how cute.”  
“What?”  
“Me.”  
Jeno rolled his eyes and looked at the two ways in front of them. Left and right. Mirrors and… spikes?  
“We have to go for spikes,” Yangyang said, walking in that direction.  
“What?” Jeno felt like it was soon to be the only word in his vocabulary. “Why would we want to impale ourselves?”  
“Well, for one, let’s do it to celebrate Vlad the Impaler’s memory… And also mirrors are less threatening. So there’s a hidden threat there.”

Something made a weird sound in the mirror corridor. Yangyang grabbed Jeno’s wrist.  
“And also that one makes sounds.”  
“Yeah,” Jeno said, making sure all of his equipment was working. “Spikes it is.”

The curtain moved in the corner of his eye. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! idk how it will be with updates for the next 2-3 weeks (they might be irregular/weirdly edited) bc i'm going on a vacation and i'm not sure if i will be able to take my laptop with me.  
> tt: xuxisearrings  
> cc: xiaodejun_


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the weird formatting! i hope you enjoy it 💖💖

"I hate every second of what's happening here," Jeno whispered under his breath.   
"I thought you loved me?" Yangyang hummed. He stopped suddenly and looked around.   
"What's up?" Jeno sighed.  
"Ever seen Indiana Jones?"  
"Nope."  
"Me neither. But there's spikes and traps in that movie. You think they would put any traps in here?"

 Jeno looked around, trying to focus on his surroundings. He couldn't see clearly. But…   
"It was supposed to be a kids' thing. SoI doubt there's any traps," he said calmly. And then stepped on something that clicked.  
The spikes started moving. 

 "We're gonna fucking die in here," Yangyang whisper-screamed and grabbed Jeno's arm. Jeno looked at him, wide-eyed. He felt all of the thoughts escape his head, replaced with _fear._ Yangyang led him through the corridor. The spikes were getting closer and closer, the walls tightening… 

They got out and Jeno's legs gave out. He kneeled on the wooden floor. Yangyang looked at him and Jeno could _sense_ his worry.   
"What's up?"   
"I don't like closed spaces," Jeno murmured, closing his eyes.   
"You're claustrophobic?"   
" _You're_ claustrophobic. Fuck off." He bit his lip, trying not to show fear, but the shaky voice had already betrayed him.

Yangyang turned off his camera - _rookie mistake,_ Jeno tried to say, but his voice was too choked up - and sat down on the floor, looking Jeno in the face.  
"Hey," he said softly. Caringly. "It's fine. We're alive. And it's not wrong to be scared of things. Do you wanna go back?"   
Jeno shook his head quickly. How would they explain this to the rest? 

"I survived my greatest nightmare, now the ghosts can suck my toes," he said. Yangyang giggled and ruffled his hair. Jeno froze for a second. Renjun often did the same thing. _Must run in the family._  
"Should I become your new greatest nightmare then? Or do you want to find another one there?" Yangyang gestured towards the crossroad before them.   
"Let's go," Jeno decided and got up. 

 "According to that book, it's a maze, not a labyrinth."  
"Well, we know that."   
"Because… labyrinths only have one, wiggly corridor…"  
"They didn't say wiggly there," Jeno said. "I don't believe they did."  
"They didn't. But that's certainly a way to put it," Yangyang giggled and turned left.   
"Why are we going there?"  
"I don't know. I have a feeling."  
Jeno sighed and followed the Chinese boy, who seemed to be very content with himself. 

 They stopped when they reached a round 'room' with five possible exits. Yangyang smiled.   
"Time to use the spirit box, I guess."  
"Great idea," Jeno said and took out the little cursed thing. "This one's for you, Jaemin!"   
The familiar white noise was almost calming for him. Yangyang didn't look so relaxed.   
"I don't like the energy here," he whispered. "Hey, ghosts. Our names are Liu Yangyang and Lee Jeno, can you say them back?"  
More white noise.   
"Okay, suit yourselves. But we don't know where to go now so you can use your scary abilities on us. So, which way?"  
" **Left.** "  
"Oh, thank you," Yangyang said and mouthed _let's take the rightest right._  
" **No!** "  
"No? What's up?"  
" **Left or die.** "  
"That's scarily coherent," Jeno whispered. Yangyang led him to the far left corridor.   
"Something is moving in there," he said, stopping. Jeno gasped. Yes, something was definitely moving.   
" **Closer**."  
"We'll manage, thank you very much," Jeno hissed. 

 They exchanged silent looks and Jeno felt like there was a link between them. A mind bond. They had to get out quickly.   
And then, of course, Yangyang grabbed his hand and started to run in danger's direction. 

 They had run through a few curtains, moving because of the wind, before Jeno stopped.   
"What the _fuck_ was that?" he hissed, turning off the spirit box.  
"I thought we silently agreed to get through with it."  
"I... Nevermind. Let's just keep going."

They walked through the maze and Jeno could swear he saw things in the dark. Crawling, slithering things, moving too quickly for him to capture with his camera.   
And then something screamed.   
"What was that!" Yangyang grabbed his arm almost instinctively.   
"What… or _who?_ " Jeno whispered, looking around. He felt very unsafe, all of a sudden. And Yangyang seemed to share the sentiment.   
"Don't say things like that," he begged. "Hello! Is anyone there? Do you need help?"

 Jeno turned on the spirit box quickly.   
"Do you need help?" Yangyang asked again. "Are you hurt?"  
" **Devil smell**."  
"What?" Jeno whispered. The floor seemed to shake a little bit.   
" **Devil smell. Get out.** "  
Yangyang reached for the box and turned it off.  
"Not gonna argue with that," he said. "Let's get out of here."   
"And how exactly…"  
"Just trust me."

 Jeno let Yangyang take his hand again and followed him back through the narrow maze. The Chinese boy seemed to know the way very well. Soon they reached the entrance.   
"How did you… what…"  
"I am the most amazing boy alive," Yangyang said calmly. "And also, the book is very helpful."

Something creaked behind them. Jeno kicked the door open and they run out of the horror maze as fast as they could.

 "I thought you called Renjun and Jaemin cowards," Mark smiled at Jeno when he got into the car.   
"You weren't there so you don't get to be mean to us," Yangyang said. Jeno nodded.   
"Let's just go home," he said. "And before we get on a different solo mission, I need to get better at martial arts."   
Yangyang laughed and put his head in Jeno's lap.   
"I'd love to see you try. Goodnight, you guys."  
"Night," Jeno said softly, looking at him with surprise in his eyes. He sighed and looked out the window. 

 The feeling must've been tiredness. 

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, sorry for the weird spacing and..... enjoy :))) 👀👀👀

Renjun had been _suspecting._ The workload did make him stop for a while but now he was back at it. His suspicions.

 It all had begun with looking through the comment section of their videos. Renjun enjoyed doing it. Although, sometimes it felt… weird. Just knowing there were so many people out there watching their videos. Supporting them. 

  _is jaemin possessed?? i swear he acts like that_

  _whats up with Jaemin!!!!!!!!!_

  _Jaemin has been acting kind of suspicious_

 Renjun closed the tab. Really? He looked outside the window and sighed. _Possessed. Sure._

"Hey, baby, what's up?" Jaemin leaned in and kissed Renjun's cheek.   
"Nothing, I'm just… tired."   
"Go to sleep. You've overworked yourself big time. But tomorrow we have video watching at Jisung and Chenle's… and then some more haunted places."  
Renjun looked at his boyfriend and smiled. He truly was the greatest blessing in life.   
"I love you," Renjun said. Jaemin looked at him, his gaze soft and adoring. It made Renjun blush every single time.   
"I love you too, sunshine."

Renjun couldn't sleep. The comments were still there, in the back of his head. Whispering bad things.   
He took out his phone. _What are the signs of possession?_ he typed in and pressed the magnifying glass icon.   
Renjun wasn't even sleepy anymore. 

Grandma was already napping when he got to the kitchen. He hadn't got lots of sleep, he'd kept waking up every time Jaemin had moved. And then the articles would intrigue him again. 

"Morning, sleepyhead," Jaemin said, already drinking his third coffee of the day. Renjun sighed and sat next to him.   
"Hi," he put his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. "Where's everyone?"  
"Your grandma is sleeping and Yangyang went out to see Jeno."   
"Yangyang did _what?"_    
Jaemin smiled.   
"Yeah, I was surprised, too. Think this little adventure scared them into friendship?"  
"Either that or they're plotting."  
"Oh," Jaemin giggled. "That's also highly possible."   
"We can't be laughing in face of such danger," Renjun said, trying to be serious. But he couldn't do it. He burst out laughing. 

He ate some breakfast quickly and looked at Jaemin. He didn't _look_ possessed… right? He looked very normal. As always. His normal, human boyfriend.   
"Hey, handsome," he called out. "Wanna go to church with me and Mark tomorrow?"  
"What? Why?" Jaemin raised his eyebrows.   
"Well, I usually go there to get holy water for our trips. Mark does church things and I wait around. It's really pretty."   
"I'm not a church guy. I'm kind of scared of priests." Jaemin's lips were curled, forming a smile, but his eyes weren't laughing.   
"So you aren't scared of ghosts… but you fear priests?"  
"One of those things is real."  
Renjun laughed and kicked him under the table. _Fair enough. Nothing haunted about being scared of priests._

They left the apartment soon and went to Chenle and Jisung's tiny flat. The place was an absolute mess. Not in terms of trash or anything (Donghyuck would kill them if they didn't clean). It was full of weird things, trinkets and souvenirs. Renjun almost tripped over a collection of ceramic cats while entering the house. It looked like Donghyuck's magic collections… bass boosted. 

"Be careful! There's clay laying around in the kitchen," Jisung yelled from the living room.   
"Why the fuck… clay?" Jaemin looked outside. Indeed, a few packs of clay were in the kitchen. Just laying there.   
"Chenle has taken up pottery," Jeno said, joining them in the hallway. "Now, let's go. We have _episodes_ to watch."

They entered the room. Yangyang was on the couch, chatting with Chenle.   
"Yeah, pottery's cool. But you know what's cooler? Yodeling."   
"I can't yodel, though?" Chenle sighed.   
"Go to Germany with me in summer. I know a guy."  
"No," Renjun sighed. "You're not doing that." 

He sat down on the floor with Jaemin.   
"Where are Hyuckie and Mark?" he hummed.   
"On their way," Jisung said, throwing them a bag of chips. "Thousand won that they're making out in the car."  
"Gross," Yangyang said. Chenle shook his best friend's hand.

Soon enough Mark and Donghyuck arrived, both a bit flushed and holding hands. Renjun smiled. _Finally._  
"Sorry, we just…" Mark stopped, at a loss of words.  
"Were you making out in the car?" Jisung asked, trying to catch a flying chip with his mouth. He was unsuccessful.   
"Well, we…" Mark stuttered.   
"Yeah," Donghyuck said with a smile. "We were."   
"Pay up, Zhong." 

Jeno looked up from his laptop, connected to the big tv, and let out an exasperated sigh.  
"Can we _finally_ get started?"  
"Yeah, hoes," Yangyang said, causing Renjun to hiss _Yangyang_ under his breath. "Me and Jeno almost got KILLED there. Have some respect."   
"Hit it, son," Donghyuck said, looking at Jeno, who just rolled his eyes. And then he pressed play. 

First, the motel video. Renjun moved closer to Jaemin at the memory of that. Everything looked scarier on screen.   
"Look, it's me~" Donghyuck hummed.   
"We know," Jeno sighed. Renjun looked at them. What in the hell happened to Jeno's heart eyes?

 The video got to the leaving-the-room situation. 

  **OUR CAMERA PICKED UP THIS SOUND.**

 Voices. Lots of voices, and then a loud scream. 

Renjun grabbed Jaemin's hand. Chenle jumped up, getting chips everywhere, and Mark's face paled.   
"That's scary as shit," Yangyang announced.   
"Wait till you see our video." 

Renjun watched himself enter the room and get spooked by the mirror. And behind him was…   
Jaemin.

 _One of the hints that you're dealing with possession,_ an article appeared before his eyes, _is mirror anomalies. Ghosts and other supernatural beings can't control their mirror appearance. Mirrors are key to recognizing them._

He slowly took out his pocket mirror and looked into it. Trying to see Jaemin and…  
"What's up?" Jaemin looked into the mirror, scaring the living shit out of Renjun. But it was him in the reflection. The usual, smiling Jaemin.   
"I'm trying to check out my hair."   
"It's beautiful."  
Renjun smiled and hid the mirror in his backpack. Stupid articles _._ It was just his normal boyfriend. 

The video ended on them getting kicked out of the motel. Jisung and Chenle seemed to be very amused by that.   
"Now show us Yangyang and Jeno getting scared of labyrinths!" Renjun said.   
"It was a maze," his cousin protested.   
"First of all, it's _Jeno and Yangyang_. Alphabetically," Jeno said.   
"It really is not," Yangyang rolled his eyes. " _Yangyang and Jeno_ has a ring to it."  
"Oh, I'll give you a ring," Jeno said, trying to threaten him.   
"He's proposing!" Yangyang cooed. Renjun watched them. How did they survive that solo trip?

That video was also scary as shit. Its scariness was actually doubled since Renjun had not seen the montage before. And then Yangyang squealed.   
"What the fuck!" He pointed at the screen. Something was moving a curtain. Very vigorously.   
"Wind," Jaemin said.   
"There was no wind there, thank you very much," Yangyang said and grabbed Jeno's arm. "What if we got possessed there?"  
"Renjun and Jaemin would have been possessed ten times each by now," Jeno rolled his eyes. But he didn't shake Yangyang's hand off. Instead, he rubbed his arm. 

Renjun looked at Jaemin. _Are you seeing this?  
_ Jaemin shrugged. _They're really close, apparently.  
_ Renjun smiled. _Guess that happens when you ghost hunt._  
"You guys are creepy as shit," Donghyuck said, staring at them. 

Getting back was fun. Yangyang and Jeno kept bickering and Renjun just held Jaemin's hand in his pocket. It was a surprisingly chilly evening but the view of the starry night sky was amazing. 

He felt bad about what was about to happen. But that was the final test. He was 99.99% sure that his boyfriend wasn't possessed. He just needed to rule that 0.01% and everything would be alright. 

Jeno said goodbye and left, they got back home and everyone went to their rooms. Renjun took his big holy water flask and unscrewed it. And then he ran to Jaemin's room.   
"Hey, baby, can you give me a… shit!" He ran directly into Jaemin, spilling holy water all over his chest. "I'm sorry!"

Jaemin let out a pained groan and Renjun looked down, worried that he had kicked his boyfriend in the shin or something. Then he looked up to check if everything was alright. 

 Jaemin's eyes were bright yellow. 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is shorter because i enjoy torturing yall very much :)) enjoy!

“ **Renjun.** ” It was Jaemin’s voice, and yet it was strange. Unsettling. Like the spirit box. And pained, Renjun realized as he made a few steps backwards. He was getting dizzy. He tried gripping the shelf to keep his balance.   
“You… You’re a…”  
“ **Let me explain,** please…” Jaemin’s voice turned back to normal. “Just… _**Fuck.**_ I need to wash it off first.”  
“What?” Renjun asked weakly, trying not to fall over. He wanted to just run. As far away from the hauntingly yellow eyes as possible.

Jaemin took off his shirt as if it was on fire.   
“Please don’t leave, I… I’ll explain everything.”   
Renjun stared at him blankly. He felt paralyzed by fear. The awful cold feeling was taking over his face and hands. But then he noticed Jaemin’s red skin. Like a burn. A sudden feeling of guilt almost made the fear stop for a split second.

But then again, Jaemin’s eyes were looking at him. Yellow and shining in the poorly lit room.   
“I’ll **be right** back.” His voice was changing again. And it scared Renjun. But he couldn’t pretend he didn’t hear the pain and fear in Jaemin’s words.   
So he slowly sat down on Jaemin’s bed and closed his eyes. Praying quietly. Hoping it was all just a weird dream.

Steps woke him up from his half-meditation, half-loss of consciousness. He looked up at Jaemin, whose eyes were now amber. Not neon yellow. Still not _Jaemin brown._  
“Hi.” Jaemin (or was he?) sat down next to him. Renjun instinctively moved away a little.   
“You better have a _fucking great explanation,”_ he hissed, trying to control his shaking hands.   
“Oh, I do,” Jaemin said, staring at his hands with a grim expression. “I really don’t want to make you wait for it. But can I say something first?”   
“You already are.”  
“I just… Fuck, I thought we’d have that talk in a good environment. With a good start.”   
Renjun took in a shaky breath. So Jaemin kept secrets from him. Of course, he had his secrets too. But his were more along the lines of _I watch k-dramas when I can’t sleep._ Not _holy water burns me and my eyes are yellow._

He closed his eyes, trying not to start panicking again.   
“What I wanted to tell you before we get into the thing… I love you, Junnie. I really do. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you,” Jaemin’s voice cracked a bit. “But I respect whatever decision you make after I tell you everything.”   
It was like a full-blown war in his head now. The fear was shaking Renjun’s bones, making him question every single moment of his life. But he couldn’t ignore Jaemin’s pained voice. He wanted to just hold his boyfriend’s hand and promise it would be fine.   
But could he promise that?

“I’m… I am a…”   
“Step away from him, Renjun!” The door opened with a loud bang. Renjun looked at his grandma in surprise. Oh?   
“Let me talk to him, please?” Jaemin crossed his arms.   
“My grandson will not be talking to the devil’s spawn.”  
“Excuse me!”   
Renjun closed his eyes, feeling a little dizzy from all the fear. And shouting. Definitely from the shouting.   
“Why don’t we calm down!” he finally said. That did not work at all. So he sighed and whistled.

They stopped. Jaemin frowned.   
“Shit, that was loud.”   
“Great,” Renjun said and pursed his lips. He was really getting annoyed more than scared. “Have you two calmed down now? I’m glad. Now. Grandma, I need you to go to the kitchen and make some tea, please. I need to talk to my boyfriend.”   
“You’re not staying alone with _that._ _”_  
He took a shaky breath.   
“Yes, I am. Thank you.”   
She looked at him with worry and anger but didn’t say anything. Instead, she handed Renjun a rosary.   
“You’re not even Christian,” he said.  
“But I’m safe.” And with that, she left.

Renjun avoided looking Jaemin in the eyes.   
“So…” he slowly said. “Devil’s spawn.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks everyone for the comments!! i really love reading them uwu   
> enjoy!!!!!!!!

Jaemin sighed deeply and looked at Renjun’s hands.   
“Let’s just hope Yangyang doesn’t decide to kick the door in now,” he said quietly. Renjun would have laughed if it wasn’t for the… circumstances. He sighed and slowly put away the rosary.   
“I trust you,” he said, trying not to sound terrified. “We don’t need that stuff.”   
Jaemin’s amber eyes expressed gratitude. _A lot_ of it.

“Okay, I just… Really don’t want you to get scared or…”  
Renjun sighed. Were they going to spend the whole day here?  
“Cut the shit, Jaemin,” he finally said. “Or someone will interrupt us again and I’ll have no choice but to kick their ass.”   
“Oh. Okay. Sure.” The boy’s face paled a bit. Renjun felt anxiety pitting in his stomach, the gutting feeling of fear. A bit of betrayal.

He looked his boyfriend in the eye.   
“So?”  
“Devil’s spawn is about right,” Jaemin whispered. Renjun furrowed his eyebrows.   
“I don’t want to play charades,” he finally said. “Just… Tell me, okay?”   
“I can show you… A bit,” Jaemin sighed. “Will make things easier, I think.”   
“Then make them easier already!” Renjun sighed. He was somewhere between mental breakdown and strangling Jaemin with his own two hands.   
“Can you turn away for a second?”   
He felt a cold shiver run down his spine.   
“S-sure…” he whispered and turned away from Jaemin.

He felt a weird smell, like… sulfur? He wanted to laugh. Laugh the whole situation off, maybe go get coffee. Joke about it with Jaemin and Jeno.   
“Okay, you can turn around now. If you don’t faint.”   
Renjun took a deep breath and slowly looked at his boyfriend.

His boyfriend, with bright yellow eyes, shining in the almost-darkness of the room. His boyfriend, with long, slightly curved, black horns growing out of his head.   
“So… that’s that,” Jaemin said quietly, looking at his hands. Renjun tried to swallow the lump in his throat.   
“Devil’s spawn,” he whispered to himself finally. “So you’re a…”   
“ **Demon.** ” Jaemin looked at the rosary sadly. Renjun felt like fainting.   
_His boyfriend, a demon._

He got up and took a deep breath. Then he realized the ground was spinning under his feet. He knew he was going to fall.   
But he didn’t. He felt something warm and soft wrap around him. He looked down. Jaemin was helping him stay still, wrapping him up with a blanket.   
“Okay, now sit down. Slowly.” Jaemin’s hands were guiding him through the fabric. Renjun sat down slowly and looked at the blanket. Then the realization hit him.

His boyfriend was afraid to touch him.    
Renjun took a deep breath and reached out to grab his hand. The familiar warmth calmed him down. He sighed quietly and intertwined their fingers.   
“So,” he whispered. “From the beginning?”   
Jaemin nodded. Renjun tried not to show the betrayal he felt.   
“So why did you… Pretend to… Shit. All of it was just lies?” he said, blinking away the tears.   
“Oh. Oh, no,” Jaemin said quickly. “I… I didn’t lie to you. I would never…”   
“Your name.”   
“Na Jaemin. That’s the human name. I also have a name that’s kind of hard to translate to Korean.”   
Renjun furrowed his eyebrows.   
“Your family..?”   
“There are two demons who helped me adjust to the human dimension. It’s a topic for a much longer conversation.”   
He sighed and looked at Jaemin again. He had so many questions. But he was so scared of the answers.   
“You believe in ghosts, don’t you?”   
“I’m not a five year old. Ghosts are not a thing, Renjun.”   
“You’re a… demon…” he had troubles saying it out loud. “…who doesn’t believe in ghosts?”   
“We exist,” Jaemin rolled his eyes. “Ghosts don’t. That’s the difference.”

That made Renjun’s head spin again. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe slowly. Finally, he managed to calm down.   
“How did you… Why… You know what, that _is_ an entirely different conversation. And I’m not ready for that one.”   
Jaemin nodded slowly, playing with his fingers.   
“Do you hate me?” he asked, his voice barely audible. Renjun looked at him. His yellow eyes. His horns. Sharp teeth.   
It was still Jaemin, looking at him with unimaginable fear and pain in his eyes.   
“Of course I don’t. I do think you’re an idiot bitch, though,” Renjun whispered.   
“I can take idiot bitch over you hating me every day of my life,” Jaemin’s voice was shaky. Renjun realized they were both close to tears.

He gave up on holding them back. He let his head down and let them fall down his cheeks. He heard Jaemin sob quietly and that was it. He leaned into Jaemin’s arms and hid his face in the demon’s chest.   
_His boyfriend’s chest._


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i LOVE yalls comments dajhkshfsj enjoy that one!

Renjun didn’t remember falling asleep, so waking up was a big surprise for him. The sun was what woke him up, the curious sunrays crawling into his eyes. What a gross thought to wake up to.

He lifted himself up slowly and looked at Jaemin, whose arms were protectively wrapped around Renjun’s waist. The smaller boy couldn’t help but smile. The events of the previous night were slowly coming back to him. And while he still had a lot of questions, he wasn’t going to let them ruin his morning. Ruining could wait until the afternoon.

He ran his fingers through Jaemin’s hair, stopping at the still very present horns. He sighed and touched one of them lightly.  
“What,” Jaemin sighed, not opening his eyes. Renjun giggled quietly.  
“Nothing, keep sleeping.”  
“I can’t, I’m already awake,” Jaemin sighed. But he stopped mid-sigh, his eyes opening wide.

He basically jumped out of the bed. With a pale face, he touched one of his horns, screamed _FUCK_ and threw a blanket on his head. Renjun watched him with a certain dose of amusement.  
“Baby?” he laughed. “I know, remember?”  
Jaemin slowly pulled the blanket off, his ears burning red.  
“ _Right,”_ he whispered. “You know. Sorry. I forgot for a second and… Fucking hell.”  
Renjun rolled his eyes and pulled his boyfriend back into the bed.  
“Sounds like you’re gonna have a heart attack,” he said, looking at his chest.  
“Not impossible,” Jaemin sighed. “I just… It happened before. The horns sometimes just appear when I sleep, and usually I managed to hide them before you woke up.”  
“Ah. Must’ve been fun,” Renjun rolled his eyes and stretched. “It’s cool now, you don’t have to be afraid or anything.”  
“Are you?”  
“What?” the Chinese boy yawned.  
“Are you scared?”

He looked at Jaemin, whose eyes were full of worry once again. He sighed.  
“You’re so stupid,” he whispered. “I’m scared of everything supernatural, obviously. BUT… Stop looking like a sad puppy… Newsflash, idiot! You’re still my boyfriend! And I love you! And I know you would never hurt me!”  
Jaemin looked like he was going to cry again. Renjun sighed and pulled him close.  
“It’s okay now.”  
“It is?” Jaemin sniffled.  
“Of course, you big baby. Now let’s go and eat some breakfast. Demons can eat, right? It wasn’t an act?”  
“Oh, no.” Jaemin wiped his cheeks. “It’s one of the greatest things about having a physical body, actually. Earth food. You don’t really get it anywhere else. In Hell, they’re trying to recreate it… With various effects.”  
“Everything’s always burnt,” Renjun guessed with a smile.  
“Basically. Let’s go eat.”

The kitchen was empty. They started preparing breakfast when they heard a loud bang and then a giggle. _Yangyang._  
“Hey, guys!” he screamed into the room. A sound of wheels. Renjun slowly turned around to see his cousin sitting on an old skateboard.  
“Hello to you,” he said, raising an eyebrow.  
“Wow, for the first time in forever you seem tall,” Yangyang said with a wide smile and then turned his head. “No need to hide in the cupboard, Jaemin! I know about your horny problem.”  
“ _Horny problem?_ ” Jaemin whispered. Then he realized what that meant. “WHAT!”  
“Oh, yeah. Grandma mentioned. She’s pissed, by the way. Wants to book the next flight. Of course, I’m staying. Y’all thought you were getting rid of me?”  
Renjun sighed and closed his eyes.  
“Yang. Shut the fuck up for a second, that’s a lot of information.”

Yangyang hummed in agreement and started sit-skateboarding around the kitchen.  
“Can I get a waffle? Can I _please_ get a wa…”  
“I’ll fucking kill you,” Renjun whispered. “Let’s sum it up. You know. Grandma is going back to China. You’re not.”  
“Jeno’s coming for breakfast,” Yangyang added. “Can I see the horns, please?”  
“Why?” Jaemin sighed.  
“Because I asked you really nicely and I’m cute.”

Renjun looked at Jaemin, exasperated. His headache was starting to melt his nose off.  
“Jeno. Breakfast?”  
“Yeah, I invited him. He doesn’t get to eat breakfast with others a lot, does he? It’s sad. He’s like a big samoyed puppy.”  
Jaemin finally took his head out of the cupboard and sighed.  
“Don’t you guys hate each other?”  
“Of course we do,” Yangyang said and stood up. “Woah, these are cool as fuck.”

Renjun focused on preparing breakfast. Maybe Yangyang and Jeno should do the next one alone, as well. He’d had enough scary shit in the past 12 hours. Huh.  
“Babe, you’re burning the waffles,” Jaemin noticed. Renjun scrunched up his nose.  
“Sorry.”  
Jaemin giggled.  
_Was that really scary?_

He prepared breakfast while Yangyang just kept talking. The boy really had infinite talking supply. Renjun was just starting to filter his voice out as white noise. He put the waffles on the table (what a healthy breakfast!) and took out his phone. He turned on twitter.

 

**_Ask us questions!!!_ **

****

When he put the phone on the windowsill, for a second he became aware of Yangyang’s voice.  
“Hey, Jaemin.”  
“What’s up, Yang?” Jaemin sighed.  
“Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”  
Renjun wanted to smack him for a bad joke like that.  
“Yeah,” Jaemin said, teary-eyed. “Yeah, a lot.”

_Fuck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and you know whats the drill! leave ur questions for the boys (including yangyang) in the comments or in my cc (xiaodejun_)! [no demon related questions though]  
> thank you for reading!  
> ALSO! please check out [a sf9 unsolved fic](https://www.archiveofourown.org/works/20127253) by my dear friend [markhyuckstea](https://www.archiveofourown.org/users/markhyuckstea) ! i co-wrote chapter 5 AND it happens in the same universe as unsolved..... so there already has been a guest there ;))


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone!! the amount of questions yall wrote amazes me!!! that's why i have to split the q&a into two chapters: sadly, school killed me this week and i have a weekend of work ahead, so this way you wont have to wait for so long. Enjoy!!!!!  
> EDIT (25.09.19) Hey all!!! Sadly, schools been killing me so i will have to postpone the next chapter a bit, sorry :((

Renjun stretched and smiled. He loved the last Q&A episode. And that one was special. Yangyang was here. Donghyuck was here. And, of course, the household demon was here.

He intertwined his fingers with Jaemin’s. Since the _kitchen incident,_ they hadn’t talked about his… unusual condition… a lot. He had had a mini-breakdown in the bathroom and then asked Renjun to stay patient. And Renjun understood. And oh, had he scolded Yangyang that day.

Now, they were all sitting together on the couch.  
“We have some questions for Jeno, but will he fit in here?” Jaemin furrowed his eyebrows.  
“He’ll sit in my lap,” Yangyang smiled, patting his thighs. Jeno mouthed _fuck off_ and then put his thumbs up. The cameras were on. Renjun smiled.

“Hey, everyone, and welcome to another Q&A episode!”  
“Question: why won’t Jeno sit in my lap?” Yangyang sighed dramatically.  
“Answer: I didn’t say I wouldn’t,” Jeno rolled his eyes. “And I’m editing that out.”  
Renjun sighed and took a sip of his iced tea. Impossible. He took out a bowl with small papers inside.  
“The questions are all here. I’m gonna pick the first one if you guys are done figh… Where’s Yangyang?”

Yangyang was now standing behind Jeno, holding him.  
“Can’t bring Jeno to my lap, so I brought my lap to Jeno.”  
“I hate youuuu,” the Korean boy hissed, blushing furiously. “Go back to your spot.”  
“Why? Do you have any authority?”  
“I’m Renjun’s favorite ex…”  
“Don’t even start,” Renjun hissed and looked at Yangyang. “Come here. We’re doing a _video._ ”

Finally, Jaemin sighed and reached into the bowl.  
“I’ll start. _Renjun: why do you do this to yourself if ur scared, how have u not had a heart attack yet?_ ”  
Renjun smiled and took a sip of his tea.  
“Yeah, it always feels like a heart attack. But I guess I just really want to show you guys the truth.”  
“Which is ‘ghosts don’t exist’.” Jaemin rolled his eyes.  
“Shut up.” Renjun reached for the next piece of paper. “ _Hyuck: how many knives do u have and which one’s ur favourite?_ ”  
“All of them,” Donghyuck deadpanned. “And… All of them.”  
“He has like… Fifteen?” Jaemin sighed. “It’s kinda scary.”

Donghyuck reached into the bowl next.  
“Oh, Jen, come here.”  
“ _Jen,_ ” Yangyang snorted. Jeno sighed and squeezed himself in between Yangyang and Donghyuck.  
“Why.”  
“ _Jeno: whats up my favorite camera boy, so , do u like yang yang? 1 - 10 scale. 1 means u wanna choke him 10 means u wanna hug him?_ ”  
Jeno sighed and looked at Yangyang.  
“Like a negative seventeen.”  
“He adores me,” Yangyang rolled his eyes.  
“ _Yangyang,”_ Jeno said, looking at the piece of paper. “ _What’s your fav German word?”_  
“Oh. Lots of them,” Yangyang smiled. “Probably… _Fernweh._ It’s like a longing for places far away.”

Jeno escaped and hid behind the video camera again. Yangyang picked the next piece of paper.  
“Help me here,” he whispered to Renjun. “ _Jaemin: 1) why are u like this 2) how is it to live with little bitch disease 3) lov u.”_  
Jaemin giggled.  
“One: because I’m sexy. Two: it’s more of a blessing. Three…” he blew a kiss to the camera. Jeno pretended to gag. The demon reached for the next question.  
“Ohh, that one’s for me! J _aem the flashlight that said the ghosts are afraid of you at the murder motel what the heck was that if it wasn’t a ghost…”_ he stopped for a second to giggle. “ _How do you explain the murder motel AT ALL that place was freaky af like the footsteps, the crying from the empty room, the flashlights and cameras, the doorknob, the spirit box saying “kill you” jaem ily homie but no one can be that skeptical it’s how you get urself k worded.”_  
Renjun passed him the iced tea. He took a few sips and laughed.  
“I love that. Well, first of all. It was an old building, guys! Old buildings make weird noises!”  
“Really? That’s your justification?” Renjun snorted.  
“Yeah. Technology fails us. The spirit box is bananas. B-A-N-A…”  
Renjun kicked him in the shin and took away the tea.  
“You’ve lost the tea privilege, baby.”

Jaemin giggled and picked out another question.  
“ _Yangyang: what are you afraid of? Like any place in particular like how Jaemin hates graveyards?”_  
“I’m afraid of two things: mirror rooms and deer.”  
“ _Deer?”_ Jeno whispered.  
“They’re fucking big, okay? Shut up,” Yangyang murmured. “Next question is… For Renjun. A _nywhere in particular you want to visit?”_  
“Gonjam hospital,” Renjun said immediately.  
“Oh, and here’s another one. _Renjun, if Jaemin couldn’t go on a ghost hunting trip with you who would you take instead?_ Say something else than Yangyang and I’m not speaking to you.”  
“Donghyuck.”  
“Fuck off,” Yangyang sighed and melted into the couch. Jeno laughed.

Renjun picked the next question. He nodded at Jeno, who sighed and joined them once again.  
“ _Jaemin how do you feel about Jeno being Renjun’s favorite ex lol and Jeno are you getting a t-shirt saying that on it?_ Please, don’t.”  
Jaemin smiled and Renjun couldn’t help but notice the sharpness of his teeth. Jealous?  
“Well, he might be Renjun’s favorite ex… But I’m his favorite boyfriend,” he said and kissed Renjun’s cheek.  
“I’m totally getting that on a t-shirt…” Jeno whispered, typing something into his phone. Renjun sighed and leaned into Jaemin.  
“And with that… Let’s take a break. I’m gonna buy some more tea.”  
“And I’m gonna go to the t-shirt shop.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you have some more questions.... u can still leave them in the comments ;)) thanks to everyone who asked and commented, and thank you for reading!!!!!!  
> tt: xuxisearrings  
> cc: xiaodejun_


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally an update!! im sorry for the delay but i had a lot of stuff to deal with! luckily my anxiety is finally getting treated and i caught a cold (which is unlucky but im getting some rest!). enjoy it and thanks for all the questions !

Everyone was back in front of the camera again, except for the camera guy. Of course, Renjun thought. Jeno was obviously up to no good.

All of his worst fears came true the second Jeno entered the room, wearing a white shirt with bright red letters on it.   
**RENJUDS FABORUTE EX**

Jaemin almost fell off the couch, laughing.   
“That’s a… that’s a great t-shirt,” he wheezed, trying to hold himself in one place.   
“Shut up. I was so excited when the guy told me I can type whatever…”   
“Of course you were,” Renjun sighed deeply and took a picture of the shirt. Yangyang was crying with laughter.   
“You paid real money for this?” Donghyuck asked, raising his eyebrows. “Adult money?”   
Jeno just nodded.   
“Let’s start recording,” he said with a smile. Yangyang raised his finger, looking into his phone.   
“Just a sec. Changing your contact name.”   
“Fuck off.”

Renjun reached for a question and smiled.   
“That one will help you guys shut up, probably. _Jeno, how do you feel about your new ghost hunting buddy? First what annoys you about him and then what do you like about him? Yangyang same questions as above._  
Jeno sighed and joined them on the couch again.   
“I hate Yangyang, obviously…”   
“A sentiment that is reciprocated, and very much so,” Yangyang raised his eyebrows and took a sip of his iced coffee.   
“He’s very loud. It’s so annoying, he never stops talking… And also has not heard of such things as personal space, knocking, asking for things.”   
Renjun looked into the camera and nodded, which earned him a hit on the head from his beloved cousin. Great. Jeno sighed.   
“Positive things… I don’t know?”   
“Bastard,” Yangyang said.   
“He’s good at languages. Very talented. He has no problem talking to people and is very outgoing. And he knows how to comfort people. Too touchy though.”

Yangyang rolled his eyes and put away the cup he was holding.   
“My turn. Jeno is absolutely the worst.”   
“Thanks. And I was trying to be easy on you,” Jeno frowned.   
“Idiotic of you. His personal dream would probably be locking himself in a wood cabin. Not killing anyone, I hope. His jokes are on dad level, and he pretends to hate hugging. But don’t let that fool you, he’s a great hugger. And overall like a big puppy pretending to be a scary dog.”   
“I am absolutely not,” Jeno said, raising his eyebrows. Yangyang smiled at him softly and ruffled his hair.   
Renjun and Jaemin exchanged surprised looks.

“Next question,” Jeno said, reaching for the paper. “Jaemin. _What’s a thing that makes you smile?_ ”   
“Renjun’s laughter,” Jaemin answered without thinking. Renjun felt himself blush. _Shit!_ Meanwhile, Yangyang made a howling noise.   
“Imagine living with them. Disgusting. Take the next q, Jaemin.”   
“ _Donghyuck, what got you into tarot reading? Also, have you met any interesting people yet?_ ”   
Hyuck smiled and straightened up.   
“As everything in life, I took it up because of my tragic past,” he said casually. “I was raised in a circus after my father abandoned my mother and she became a gymnast.”   
“Shit,” Yangyang said, raising his eyebrows. “Can you do any sick flips?”   
“I can do this?” Donghyuck took out three knives ( _where do you even keep those?,_ Jeno hissed), stood up and started juggling with them. Yangyang jumped in his place.   
“That’s so fucking cool! Can you teach me?”   
“Do not give him knives,” Jeno warned. Renjun nodded, panicked.   
“Let’s get back to the questions. Interesting people?”   
Hyuck sat down and sighed. He looked into the empty air in silence, thinking about something.   
“I have met many of them, but there was… A group some time ago… God, they were something else,” he finally said.   
“Elaborate?” Renjun raised his eyebrows.   
“Well, there was a guy who was tall as a fucking tree… He had so much love in him,” he said softly. “And then was this little bastard… I thought I’d strangle this dude. And their friends… Quite a bunch.”  
Renjun giggled.   
“Well, another one’s for you, too. _How often do you throw hands on the daily?”_  
Donghyuck smiled.   
“I’m not a violent person at all!”   
“Lies,” Jaemin and Jeno said simultaneously.   
“Okay. I train kickboxing every other day. So, a lot.”

Donghyuck fished out another piece of paper.   
“Renjunnie! _If you could ghost hunt anywhere in the world where would you go?_ Oh, thanks, guys. Now we’re gonna be here for hours.”   
Renjun nodded enthusiastically.   
“There are so many places! The Winchester mansion, for starters. Obviously, I’d love to see haunted castles in Europe, Dracula’s place, and…”   
Jaemin looked at him with a loving smile. The rest collectively rolled their eyes.   
“Next question,” Yangyang said. “Before it gets dark outside. _Jeno! Do you think Jaemin is ever gonna get possessed at this rate?”_

Silence. Renjun looked at Jaemin, who looked like he was going to laugh. And then at poor Jeno, who didn’t know anything. Yet.   
“I would be surprised if he wasn’t possessed already,” Jeno said. “You demon.”   
Jaemin laughed awkwardly.   
“Come on guys. There’s no ghosts to possess me. Because they don’t exist. And the next question goes for… Me! _When did you know renjun was the one?”_  
“Oh, really,” Yangyang groaned. Renjun giggled and grabbed his boyfriend’s hand.   
“Can’t wait to hear that.”   
“I knew it since… Let me think… There was that one day in high school,” Jaemin smiled. “I wanted to keep my distance from people… Which obviously didn’t work, not with Renjun and Jeno. And that day, I was a little sick. I caught a cold, and it was rainy as fuck outside. Renjun shared his umbrella with me and invited me to his place. And made me stay overnight, drink warm things and sit in blankets the whole evening.”   
Renjun smiled, leaning into his boyfriend’s body. They’d come a long way since then. And yet that memory made him all warm.   
“Disgusting,” Yangyang whispered.

Donghyuck picked the next question and chuckled.   
“That one’s gonna be fun. Renjunnie. _What was your favorite date you went on with Jeno? And what’s your current favorite date/ideal date?”_  
Renjun felt Jaemin tense up a little. He squeezed his fingers slightly and smiled.   
“With Jeno… Hm, good question. I think the one when we went to a carnival together…” he smiled, thinking back to that moment.   
“Cool. Basic,” Yangyang said, rolling his eyes.   
“And an ultimate favorite… I have two, actually.”   
“You do?” Jaemin asked, a little pale. Renjun sighed. What a baby.   
“Yeah. One, the ultimate ultimate… When Jaemin took me to the roof of our building to stargaze.”  
Yangyang made a gagging noise. Renjun kicked him.   
“And the other one was years ago. My first date. We sang to the sea and ended up hiding in a little cave on the beach because of a storm. Well, there was some kissing involved.”   
“Who…” Jeno and Jaemin said simultaneously and exchanged surprised looks. “Not you?”   
Yangyang giggled.   
“The plot thickens!”  
“It doesn’t,” Renjun rolled his eyes. “It was…”   
“Me,” Donghyuck said.

Yangyang fell off the couch, howling.   
“Plot-fucking-twist!”   
“Shut up,” Renjun sighed, blushing. Idiots. “Let’s go back to questions? _Jaemin, what is the one place you would never go on a ghost hunting trip?”  
_“A church. I’m scared of priests,” Jaemin said slowly. “And… I don’t know. There’s something about the sound in churches.”   
“I love it,” Hyuck said. Jaemin shot him a dirty look. Renjun rolled his eyes.   
“ _Jeno,_ ” Jaemin said. “B _est methods for strangling yang squared?”  
_“All of them!” Jeno said. Yangyang laughed and ruffled his hair again.   
“See? He’s harmless. Like a big puppy.”   
“You’re a… Shut up,” Jeno hissed. “Hit us with another question, Jaemin.”   
“The last one. _Yangyang. What is your opinion on frogs? Fav froggie?”_  
“Love them, would die for them,” Yangyang said, playing with Jeno’s hair. “And my favorite is Jeno.”   
“Let’s check out all the strangling methods,” Jeno said, glaring at him.

Renjun laughed and took a sip of his tea.   
“Thank you for all the questions. We’re wrapping up for now, see you in the next video, where I’ll be crying and regretting my existence. Bye!” he hummed and walked up to turn off all the devices. “Who wants dinner, little bastards?”   
The roar was enough of a confirmation. Renjun smiled and headed towards the kitchen.

He was very focused on preparing the perfect fried rice when he heard Jeno clear his throat.   
“What’s up, Jen?” he asked, not even lifting his head.   
“Can I talk to you?”   
“Sure,” he smiled and looked at his friend. Oh, serious face. “What’s up.”   
“It’s about Yangyang.”   
_Oh.  
_“Is he being too much? I can talk to him about the whole touching thing and…”   
“No, no,” Jeno’s voice sounded a little… Panicked? Renjun furrowed his eyebrows.   
“Well, then what about Yangyang?”   
“I think I might like him. Like… Like him, like him.”   
“Oh,” Renjun said.   
_Oh, shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy that very tender chapter i wrote while yearning!

“I can’t believe you’ve invited me to _brunch._ That’s some serious plotting,” Jeno said, furrowing his eyebrows. Renjun laughed quietly. Well, that wasn’t exactly wrong. He looked around, checking for any people he knew. Luckily, there was almost no one at the cafe at noon.   
“Well, not plotting exactly,” he hummed. “It’s more about a serious talk without any prying ears.”   
“Oh, God. That’s so much worse.” Jeno closed his eyes. “Do you want to propose to Jaemin? Because if yes, gross, but I’ll help you look for the ring.”   
“Shut up!” Renjun blushed furiously. “I’m going to order my tea now, and you sit here and think about your scandalous behavior.”   
“Sure will.”

He soon got back, only to find Jeno smiling at his phone.   
“Your mom texting?”   
“Shut up. Yangyang’s sending me some idiot memes.”   
Renjun rolled his eyes and sat back down. He looked at Jeno studiously.   
“Yeah, that’s what I wanted to talk about.”   
“Memes?”   
“ _Yangyang, you idiot,”_ he hissed. Jeno’s expression changed suddenly.   
“Oh, maybe let’s not,” he said, trying to fake a cheerful tone. And Renjun was not falling for it. He crossed his legs.   
“You’re not getting out of it this time. I specifically asked you to meet me here so that no one could interrupt us.”   
“It’s no big deal. Why are we having this conversation right now? Is it a weird you-touch-my-cousin-you-die thing?”   
Renjun sighed. _Idiot._  
“Of course not, you… I just want to talk, Jen. I won’t threaten you or anything. So, spill it.”

Jeno shifted in his chair a few times and looked to the right.   
“Nothing to spill. I’m just having an emotion, it will pass.”   
“ _Jennnn._ You can’t bullshit me like that.”   
“I tried.”   
Renjun sighed and took a sip of his fresh iced tea.   
“So, you have a thing for that family.”   
“I’m… No! He’s just… Very cute.”   
“Annoying kid,” Renjun corrected. Had he found the right method? “Too loud.”   
“No. He talks with so much sense sometimes, he’s very smart. And has a nice laugh.”   
“Well, I think he’s too clingy,” Renjun smiled. _Bingo._  
“I like that a lot. When he holds my hand or… Hey, Huang Renjun!”   
He laughed, putting away his tea.   
“That’s so cheesy, shut up. Maybe you should try to get more clingy with him? You know, to show him you’re interested.”   
“No!” Jeno froze. “No, he doesn’t like me like _that.”_  
“And how do you know?” Renjun raised his eyebrows.   
“Uh, common sense?”   
“Idiot. You two are worth each other,” he rolled his eyes. “Wanna come to dinner later? You know, hang out with…”   
“Gladly. And he’s already invited me, anyway.”   
“What a brat,” Renjun sighed. “Good thing Jaeminnie is cooking, then. He always makes too much food.”

The dinner went smoothly if one were to consider Yangyang and Jeno’s constant banter smooth. After that, they both offered to do the dishes and Jaemin took that offer with a happy smile. That was how Renjun ended up in his boyfriend’s arms, snuggling and eating some leftover chips. The TV was on, but neither of them paid attention to what was happening on the screen. Jaemin kissed Renjun on the forehead.   
_The blessed domesticity._

“Hey, remember that Q&A?”   
“Well, it wasn’t that long ago,” Renjun hummed and looked up. “What about it.”   
“Who _was_ your first date? You don’t have to answer, I’m just… Curious.”   
Renjun giggled. _And jealous, huh?_  
“You and the Internet, apparently. But it was Hyuckie. Really.”   
Jaemin choked on his chips.   
“He… what? I thought he was joking.”   
“Yeah, it’s easy to distrust a man with three knives on him at all times,” Renjun nodded with a smile. “Yeah, it was a summer romance kind of thing. And we don’t really talk about it a lot.”   
“That’s just… How did no one know…”   
“See my previous response.” Renjun rolled his eyes. “It’s not important. Just a thing that happened.”   
“If you say so.”

He smiled and kissed Jaemin on the cheek.   
“Ew, your lips are all salty.”   
“You’re the one that sounds salty, babe. Do I get to ask a question now?”   
“Always,” Jaemin hummed, brushing his fingers through Renjun’s hair.   
“Hey! Chip fingers!”   
“They were quite expensive, actually.”   
Renjun cringed at that joke and looked at his boyfriend.

“Would you… ever be okay with me meeting your… family?” he choked out. That was a stressful one, definitely. But Jaemin looked at him, surprised.   
“Why are you so scared? I was actually going to suggest that. Maybe take the guys, too. For a trip. We could film an episode, there’s a haunted forest near them…”   
“Oh?” That definitely sparked Renjun’s interest. But first… “And they would be okay with it? And Jeno doesn’t even know…”   
“I’ll talk to him. It will be a chance for him and Yang to spend some time together, for you to meet my ‘parents’ in a non-stressful environment… And to learn a bit more about… you know.”   
“Your horny thing,” Renjun said, trying to hide a smile.   
“Don’t call it that,” Jaemin laughed. “But yeah. That.” 

Renjun laughed and wrapped his arms around Jaemin’s neck.   
“Then it’s set. We’re going on a trip.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you liked it! lmk here or [my twitter](https://www.twitter.com/xuxisearrings) or [my cc](https://www.curiouscat.me/xiaodejun_)


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy!

“I can’t believe it’s happening,” Yangyang hummed, jumping in his seat. “We get to meet your parents!”   
Jeno didn’t share the enthusiasm.   
“I don’t know, you guys,” he said, looking nervously at the driver’s seat, occupied by Renjun. “Are you sure you want to go to a demon house? Like, literally demon house.”   
“Well, I live in a demon apartment, so technically it’s just an upgrade,” Renjun rolled his eyes. They had explained everything to Jeno and he’d taken it well (except for the part where he hadn’t and he fainted). It was all still… A little new and stressful. But he believed the trip would actually ease Jeno’s mind a little bit.   
“Oh, yeah, sorry. I mean, I don’t want to offend your parents in any way, Jaemin, it’s just that…”   
“You’re scared that my family home is a big fire and my parents are two snakes. I understand that part, Jen,” Jaemin snorted. Renjun bit his lip and exchanged concerned looks with his cousin. That wasn’t exactly a great start of the trip.

“I mean, it’s just kind of weird that we get thrown into this so suddenly and now you want us to meet your parents and…”   
“I asked to meet them,” Renjun sighed. “And we’re also there to look for ghosts in the forest.”   
Jaemin looked at him with a smile.   
“Oh, actually, there are no ghosts in this one.”   
“You said it was haunted!” Renjun almost stopped the car but Jaemin quickly realized his mistake and put his hand on his thigh.   
“There were, um… Creature sightings? I didn’t know how to put it in words.”   
Renjun looked at him for a second, absolutely bewildered.   
“You’re telling me we’re going _cryptid hunting?”_ he squealed. Yangyang rolled his eyes and Jeno raised his eyebrows.   
“That doesn’t sound safe.”   
“It sounds cool as fuck!” Renjun almost stopped again, this time in excitement. Jaemin laughed.   
“It does, babe, but why don’t you focus on the road? We need to get there in one piece if we want to cryptid hunt.”   
“Yeah, sure. Sorry,” Renjun changed his expression back to _I’m a serious driver, bitches._ He couldn’t stop himself from whispering ‘cryptids’ under his breath. It only made Jaemin laugh.   
That was going to be a hell of a trip.

They arrived in the afternoon. The sun was slowly traveling across the clear sky, the birds were singing and as Renjun got out of the car (finally, Yangyang’s whining was getting very tiring), he could smell the upcoming change of seasons in the air. He smiled and looked around. There was something so idyllic about the scene before him: a cottage on the edge of a forest, with lots of flowers in the garden and an apple orchard right next to it. He could imagine living in a place like this with Jaemin.

“Good to be here,” the demon said with a smile, helping Yangyang with the bags. He then added something in a language Renjun didn’t understand at all. But as soon as he did, the door opened and a long-haired man ran out of the house with a smile. Before Renjun could get a closer look at him, he launched himself right at Jaemin.   
“You’re home!” he said.   
“And you’re choking me…” Jaemin wheezed. Renjun couldn’t help but smile. It was _adorable._

The long-haired man slowly moved aside and smiled at them all, and Renjun had the first opportunity to look him in the face. He was pretty and had very warm eyes. Very… _parental_ presence. He also had a pair of crimson horns growing out of his head, contrasting with his blonde hair.   
“Nice to finally meet you all,” he said. “Jaemin doesn’t really talk a lot, so I can’t wait to learn more about you.”   
“That’s Jeonghan,” Jaemin said, rolling his eyes. “He’s a… sort of a dad.”   
“You raise them and that’s what you get back,” Jeonghan whispered. Renjun laughed quietly, which drew the older demon’s attention.   
“Oh, you must be the boyfriend. It’s so good to meet you!”   
And suddenly, Renjun was being hugged. _Oh. Well._

Jeno and Yangyang quickly introduced themselves and Jeonghan led them into the house. It was even cozier inside than it looked outside and Renjun felt like he could fall asleep on spot.   
“You two can sleep in Jaemin’s room, and the guestroom has two beds, so we will all fit in here, I hope,” Jeonghan said.  
“Yeah, no problem,” Jaemin looked around and Renjun noticed he was kind of… teary-eyed? He grabbed Jaemin’s warm hand quickly.   
“I’ll try not to kill Yangyang,” Jeno promised. Yangyang looked at him.   
“I can’t say the same about you.”   
Jeonghan laughed.   
“No killing in the house. Maybe go unpack and rest a little. Cheol’s gonna be here for dinner, so late…”   
“Forest business again?” Jaemin asked.   
“You have no idea. Now go rest! I need to nap,” Jeonghan laughed.

Renjun followed his boyfriend to a wooden door. The room was pretty similar to Jaemin’s room in their apartment - some movie posters, beautiful pictures of forests, music albums. And a mess, obviously.   
“Who is Cheol?” he asked, sitting down on the bed. Jaemin smiled.   
“My other dad. He spends lots of time out there, so he’ll help with the cryptid hunt.”   
“I love cryptids,” Renjun sighed, wrapping himself in a blanket. “And naps.”   
“Definitely naps,” Jaemin laughed. “Sleep well, baby.”   
“Love you,” Renjun managed to whisper and then fell asleep immediately.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy halloween and happy november! enjoy!

The smell of food was what woke Renjun up. It was so _good._  
“Hi, babe,” Jaemin whispered into his ear. “Wake up, it’s dinner time. And cryptid time.”  
“Cryptids!” Renjun sat up and almost hit his head on his boyfriend’s horn. _Oops._

Jaemin just laughed and helped him get up. They got out of the room and Renjun could fully appreciate the beauty and the heart put into the house. There were photos and paintings everywhere, along with some wood-carved artworks.   
“Who made that?” he asked, stopping to stare at a beautiful painting. Jeonghan was in it, it must have been Jeonghan - the blonde hair and the red horns were recognizable.   
“Oh, Cheol did. They’re disgusting like that,” Jaemin rolled his eyes. “You’ll see in a second, he’s home.”

 Indeed, as soon as they entered the kitchen, Renjun realized they were the last ones to do so. Moreover, there was a stranger sitting at the table. He had dark blue horns and was staring at Jeonghan with absolute love and devotion.   
“You two, really,” Jaemin groaned. The man laughed and pulled him in for a bear hug. Then he looked at Renjun with a huge smile.   
“And you’re Renjun, I guess.”   
“No guessing involved, I told you his name, idiot,” Jeonghan sighed. The man ignored him completely.   
“I’m Seungcheol, the other dad.”   
Renjun bowed.   
“Very nice to meet you.”

They sat down at the table. Yangyang was playing with his chopstick and Jeno was looking miserable.   
“Nothing is working,” he explained when Renjun looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Not my cameras, not the mics…”   
“Oh, yeah,” Jeonghan smiled. “It’s our energy.”   
“ _What,”_ Jeno furrowed his eyebrows.   
“You might’ve noticed it with Jaemin sometimes. Supernatural energies tend to mess with equipment a little and we’re no exception. Although the effect is much stronger with ghosts and such, three demons is a pretty big deal.”   
“Oh, definitely,” Jeno sighed.  “At least now I can blame Jaemin for one more thing.”   
“Great,” Jaemin sighed. “Let’s eat.”

After the meal, Renjun helped Jeonghan with washing up. They talked about unmeaningful things for a few minutes: Renjun and Jaemin’s work, the YT channel, Yangyang’s travel experience… And then Jaemin smiled.   
“Cheol, Renjun is also here for the cryptid hunt. And who is a better person to talk to about it than you?”   
Seungcheol’s eyes changed color to bright yellow for a bit, and his excited smile was enough of an answer.   
“You want to know more about her? _Finally.”  
_“Okay,” Jeonghan laughed. “I’m leaving. Have fun with this nerd.”

Seungcheol poured them all some coffee and Renjun took out his notepad.  
“I’m _so_ ready to hear about this,” he whispered.   
“The sightings had started about five years before me and Jeonghan moved in. I say _started_ but it’s more of a… _Started again._ You see, the earliest stories about a creature being here are centuries old. And every fifty or so years they resurface, so I assume it’s a natural cycle of sorts. And this time was no different. First, chickens started disappearing. In small amounts, then entire chicken pens getting robbed overnight. Then, bigger farm animals, even two cows. A few humans disappeared in mysterious circumstances. And it keeps happening. People just say sheep escape. But how would they? No, they’re getting eaten by something hungry.”   
Renjun shuddered, taking his notes quickly.   
“Were there any sightings?” he asked, trying to catch his breath.   
“A few, yeah. Some tourists who decided to go on a hike and got more than they bargained for. They say they saw a big creature with red fur, like a fox, but big like a bear… And with glowing, green eyes. Which is quite unfoxly for me. Some local landowners also claim to have seen it, and most of the descriptions are pretty much the same. And it only shows itself at night.”   
“And have you ever seen it?” Yangyang asked, at the edge of his seat. Seungcheol smiled.   
“I was lucky to, yeah. But only once. It was just a glimpse. But I spend a lot of time in the forest, cleaning up its mess. You know, dead animals are one thing, but this thing leaves a lot of… Supernatural residue.”   
“Like, literal shit or…” Yangyang stopped and hissed. “Don’t _kick me,_ Lee Jeno!”  
“Not literal shit,” Seungcheol seemed to be amused. “More like… magical owl pellets? And if that got into the wrong hands, Heaven and Hell would have hands full of work. So I take care of that part.”

Renjun closed his notebook and smiled.   
“I need to see that thing. Can we go tonight?”   
Jaemin smiled and kissed him on the cheek quickly.   
“Why not? We can do it tonight and tomorrow. A longer mission.”   
“So what on Earth are we waiting for!” Yangyang exclaimed. Renjun didn’t hear that. He was already sprinting for his bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you liked it!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everyone ready for some spooky shit??

They waited a bit for it to get dark before going out on an adventure. That time was spent recording an introduction outside of the house, and then drinking more coffee with Jeonghan, who was very amused by the whole situation.   
“It’s cute how Jaemin’s still in denial about all this, but he goes everything with you.”   
“We have a bet going on,” Renjun shrugged.   
“Even cuter.”

Walking into a dark forest at night sounded like an incredible idea in Renjun’s head, but as soon as he stepped in between the trees, he realized a very important truth about himself.   
_I’m an idiot,_ Renjun thought.   
It wasn’t quiet, in fact, the volume of everything was crushing. Every little creak, every cracking twig, every bird noise - everything made him jump and clench his fists. He felt constantly watched and was sure that if he were to turn around, he’d see a bunch of red eyes glowing in the dark and following his moves.

“Soooo,” Yangyang jumped onto a fallen tree and tried to balance himself on it. “How do we approach this? How do we… hunt down a cryptid?”   
“Stop trying to be cool.” Jeno kicked the log and Yangyang fell off with a scream. “See? Now you’ve alarmed it, it’s going to eat us and we will DIE.”   
Renjun bit his lip and grabbed Jaemin’s hand.   
“We won’t,” Jaemin rolled his eyes. “But you know what, guys? I actually, for the first time, believe in what we’re looking for!”   
“Shit!” Renjun raised his eyebrows. That was a new one. “You don’t believe in ghosts that stay on earth… Even though there’s evidence…”   
“Show me the evidence and I’ll believe you.”   
“But you believe… That there is a big creature running around and eating sheep in here?”   
Jaemin shrugged and waved his flashlight around.   
“Well, baby, we don’t know around 85% of ocean creatures. We don’t know land creatures, too. Weird animals are more likely to be real than ethereal soul soups.”   
“ _Soul soups?_ ”

They wandered deeper into the forest. Now they couldn’t see the direct light coming from the moon above them, only their flashlights and sometimes rays of moonshine falling onto their faces. The noises were getting a little different, too. Quieter? Like all of the birds were trying to keep out of the forest’s heart.   
“I have no idea what to look for,” Yangyang sighed.   
“Well, we should be searching for some… tracks. Pawprints? Maybe even dead animals. Our sources say that sometimes they can be found in the forest.”   
“I will NOT be looking for dead animals. Fuck off.”

Renjun rolled his eyes and looked into the camera.   
“Well, as you can see, I am not working with the most helpful people on Earth. But…”   
“Hey, Jun? I have something, I think.” Jaemin stopped.   
“Oh, I love you.” Renjun joined him and looked at the ground. Oh. That was a fresh print.   
“You think that’s our thing?” Yangyang hummed, taking pictures of it.   
“It’s something big, that’s for sure,” Renjun whispered and took out a magnifying glass from his bag. “And it’s not far from here.”

They looked around. Suddenly every sound became ten times louder in Renjun’s ear. Was it the thing they were looking for? Or was it a bear? Or a wolf, hungry for humans?   
“Wolves don’t eat humans,” Yangyang said calmly.   
“How do you know?” Jeno asked, rolling his eyes.   
“I read things sometimes. Very useful, you should try it.”

Renjun smiled and looked at his companions.   
“Maybe let’s see if a mating call works on that little creature.”   
“Oh, yeah. Let’s play _the best mating call game._ A totally normal, not weird thing to do,” Jaemin snorted. “Who will start this mess?”   
“Yangyang, obviously.”   
Yangyang rolled his eyes, but then suddenly opened his eyes wide and screeched loudly.   
“Now that’s some pterodactyl tinder material,” Jeno laughed.   
Renjun tried to make a similar sound, but his throat gave up on him halfway through. Jeno and Yangyang were wheezing while worried Jaemin was looking for a water bottle in his backpack.

After Renjun stopped coughing and choking, it was finally Jaemin’s turn. Everyone watched in silence as Jaemin smiled, threw his head back…   
And then Jaemin _roared.  
_Renjun felt chills run down his spine. That was demonic. _And possibly attractive._  
“You’re blushing,” Yangyang whispered into his ear. “Furry.”

And after a moment of stunned silence, something roared back in the distance.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy!!!

“Okay, that definitely sounded like a Bigfoot,” Jeno furrowed his eyes. Renjun nodded quickly.   
“Are we going to check it out or not?” he scream-whispered. Jaemin laughed quietly.   
“This is the first time you’re not fainting from fear.”   
“Shut up. Shut up, it’s gonna be so much fun…” Renjun was already walking towards the sound.

He was afraid, of course he was. How could he not be? It was all terrifying, and so real. He knew it was this time, he talked to a witness… It wasn’t only a belief. They were very much in the real shit now.

They walked for quite some time, in silence, trying to catch every weird sound they could. But there was nothing else to hear. There was… Nothing to hear.   
“Is it just me or did all the birds leave?” Jaemin whispered. Renjun nodded.   
“And there’s no wind. I think you should do the roar again. For science.”   
“For science of why is Renjun such a furry,” Yangyang snorted. Renjun threw a stick at him.   
“Fuck off.”

Jaemin sighed and stopped. And then roared again.

And, once again, something answered.   
And it was pretty damn close.

“It’s DTF,” Jeno giggled from behind the camera. His face was extremely pale and his eyes were wide. Renjun felt a shudder run down his spine.   
“It’s very close,” he whispered. “Maybe we should hide in the trees or something? I don’t feel very safe all of a sudden.”   
He waited for Yangyang to make fun of him, but it didn’t happen. He turned his head towards…  
“Guys?” Where is Yangyang?”

The chaos that ensued was incredible. Renjun had never seen Jeno lose composure so quick. The camera boy put his equipment away and started running around, checking under logs, behind big rocks, and in hollow trees.   
“I’m climbing one of those!”   
Renjun and Jaemin watched with worry in their eyes.   
“Jen, we could just try calling him…”   
“He’s already lost! Fuck, we gotta put a tracker on that kid! We can’t take him outside!”   
“Who can’t we take outside?”

Jeno fell off the tree. Yangyang stopped next to him.   
“Gosh, didn’t know you were so much into nature. Tree climbing? You little adventurer,” he rolled his eyes. “Anyway, I found a really cool stick. Wanna see?”   
“I’m gonna _murder you_ ,” Jeno hissed, getting up. “We were worried SICK! What were you even thinking, Liu Yangyang? Just leaving like that? The beast could’ve eaten you! You could’ve fallen into a PIT! Have you ever been in a pit? We’ll keep you in one so you can’t just wander off whenever you wish! A BEAR could’ve attacked you! Do you even know how to protect yourself from bears? You’re reckless, irresponsible and…”   
Yangyang sighed and wrapped his arms around Jeno in a tight hug. That made him shut up.   
“I’m sorry, guys, I should have stayed with you.”   
“It’s cool,” Renjun said. “I think you already got enough reasons not to do that again.”   
“And if you see a bear, play dead?” Jaemin suggested, trying to hide a smile.   
“Will do.”

They continued walking, now a little slower. Yangyang was holding Jeno’s hand, their fingers intertwined. Renjun was doing his best not to make fun of them for being so adorable.

But the creature stopped answering to the roars after that. They suspected it was because of all the noise, so after finding a few more prints, they decided to head back to the cottage. The first night of the hunt was a success.

“Did you find anything interesting?” Seungcheol asked when they got back. He made them tea and Renjun was never so grateful for the existence of tea (which really said a lot).   
“Yeah! We got some prints, going deeper. Probably into a lair, we’ll investigate that tomorrow. It also flirted with Jaemin.”   
The younger demon laughed.   
“Yeah, thank Hell you’re not jealous of that. It was pretty fun, I admit. I wonder what that thing looks like.”   
“Maybe we’ll see tomorrow,” Renjun sighed and leaned into Jaemin. He was warm and comfy. The best.

He half-listened to what Jaemin and Seungcheol were saying, watching Yangyang and Jeno sitting on the other side of the table. They looked very tired, half-asleep, but still holding hands, like they couldn’t let go.   
Renjun couldn’t help but smile.

A shower has never felt so nice, and a bed was never so warm. He looked at Jaemin and petted his head.   
“You’re still hiding them,” he said, thinking about the horns. “Jeonghan doesn’t.”   
“Yeah, well… He’s older and more used to them. I’m… not.”  
Renjun bit his lip. That was… Serious talk territory. But they did have to talk about it at some point.   
“How old are you?” he asked, playing with his boyfriend’s hair.   
“Depends. Human years, you know. Demon birth would be… That was two years before we met. It took me two years to adjust. And before… I can’t count the years before. Time doesn’t exist there.”   
“In heaven?” Renjun whispered. Jaemin nodded.   
“These two years… I’m so grateful Jeonghan and Cheol took care of me. They had a lot of work with that.”   
Renjun sighed and pulled his lover closer.   
“We don’t have to talk about it.”   
“I think it’s time you get some information. Not all, of course… But more than nothing.”   
“If you feel comfortable doing it.”   
Jaemin sat up and looked at him with a soft smile.   
“So let’s start.”  
And a single flash of yellow irises later, black wings cast a shadow over Renjun’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im back!! hope you like <3

He stared at Jaemin in silence for thirty seconds, mouth agape. The wings were _big._ And so beautiful. He was so used to the portrayal of demons as creatures with bat wings, often destroyed… But Jaemin’s had feathers! And they looked so…   
“They’re so fluffy,” he finally whispered, making his boyfriend giggle.   
“I thought you were going to faint for a second there. Are they that impressive?”   
“Of course,” Renjun sighed, looking at them.   
“You can touch them if you want to…?” Jaemin said slowly.

Renjun let his hand wander along the soft black feathers. Jaemin hummed and closed his eyes.   
“It’s one of His most cruel jokes. Demons still have wings and can use them, and yet they will never be able to come back. It’s a curse, a badge of shame.”   
Renjun furrowed his eyebrows. Was God that cruel?   
“I thought He was supposed to be good,” he whispered, petting Jaemin’s wing slowly.   
“He thinks he is. But the way he envisions the world… Some creatures don’t fit into his definition of good.”

Renjun felt his boyfriend tense, voice shuddering slightly. He sighed and wrapped his arms around Jaemin’s neck.   
“You’re good,” he whispered. “No matter what some idiot in Heaven says.”   
“Renjun, you’re being blasphemous,” Jaemin smiled, trying to blink away the tears welling up in his eyes.   
“Well, let me be even more,” he whispered and kissed his boyfriend on the lips.   
They could get back to that conversation later.

*

“You have mud on your ass,” Yangyang said, watching Jeno from under a pile of blankets he created on his bed. Jeno rolled his eyes.   
“You’re the one looking at my ass.”   
“You should go take a shower,” Yangyang sang, completely ignoring Jeno’s words. Maybe if the Korean boy had turned around, he’d see the pink hue of Yangyang’s ears. But he didn’t.  
“Well, I was waiting for you to finish your fifty-step skincare routine. Sorry, should’ve just barged right in.”   
“Of course not, pervert!” Yangyang threw a pillow in his direction but missed greatly (mostly because he was almost entirely buried in blankets. “Just go now, your ass is being distracting.”   
“Fuck off,” Jeno laughed, taking his pajamas. “See you in a second.”   
“Please wash for more than a second,” Yangyang sighed, trying to fight off a smile. As soon as Jeno left though, he laughed and squished his face into the pillow.

He was going to miss this.

*

The breakfast was delicious. Renjun tried not to focus entirely on his plate but it was very difficult. Finally, Seungcheol caught his attention.   
“I’m afraid you won’t be able to go monster hunting tonight,” he said. “I looked for the beast at night, and couldn’t find it.”   
“It’s probably looking for Jaemin,” Yangyang giggled.   
“That’s… Possible. Or the roaring had actually scared it.”   
“Sorry,” Jaemin said, his mouth full. Renjun smiled, kicking him on the ankle.   
“Stop talking with food in your mouth.”   
Jaemin rolled his eyes and swallowed.   
“Sorry for scaring it. But you know, at least we have an excuse to come back.”

Jeonghan smiled and hugged Renjun, surprising him a great deal.   
“You better come back, I love my son-in-law.”   
“Thanks,” Renjun whispered. Jaemin smiled at them, his eyes sparkling with joy.   
It all felt like home.

Leaving was difficult, but the promise of one of the parties visiting in the near future made it a little better. Jeonghan hugged everyone, gave them food and also asked Jaemin to send pictures. Seungcheol handed them a long fang he’d found in the forest. Renjun spent the entire ride home thinking of all the things he could do with it in the future.

They spent the evening napping and watching TV, and he really enjoyed that way of spending time. Especially when he complained about the cold and Jaemin reacted by making his wings appear.   
“These are so warm,” Renjun hummed. He could fall asleep like that.

But he didn’t.   
Because instead, he heard a noise from the corridor.

He and Jaemin both stood up and went to check it out, armed with the remote control and a plate.   
“Guys, chill,” Yangyang rolled his eyes, struggling with a big… luggage bag?   
“Where are you going?” Jaemin furrowed his eyebrows. Yangyang smiled sadly.   
“Back home. I mean, I will be back. But you know. Family starts wondering if I am dead,” he rolled his eyes. “I have a flight tomorrow. Didn’t want to make a big thing out of it.”

Renjun sighed and ruffled Yangyang’s hair.   
“Let’s make some tea, huh? You need to get a good night’s sleep.”   
“You know I won’t. But let’s drink tea anyway.”

Renjun’s phone beeped.

**From: JenJen**

_Might or might not confess to your cousin tomorrow_

Fuck that shit, Renjun thought.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in an unpredictable plot twist, i am back!!!  
> enjoy another chapter <3333

“What are you going to tell Jeno?”   
Yangyang looked up at Renjun from his morning bowl of cereal and sighed.   
“The same thing I told you guys. But like… Faster. And then run.”   
“Run from what?” Renjun sighed, pouring himself more tea. He’d promised himself to stay away from their mess. But he just… couldn’t. Not with that attitude from Yangyang.   
“Oh, you know. The house. Jeno. The unspoken.”   
“The unspo…”   
“We will not speak of it,” Yangyang interrupted. Renjun looked at Jaemin.   
Oh, well.

The whole morning was like that. On edge. He did his best to help Yangyang pack everything and give him some great souvenirs for the rest of the family. It was… sad. Even though he hadn’t been aware of Yangyang’s _existence_ in the past, the few months they’d spent together were more than enough to make him very emotional about the departure.

And there was also the whole Yangyang-Jeno thing. The unspeakable. His fingers hovered upon the phone keyboard as he wondered what to tell Jeno. _Good luck_? _Better do it fast_?   
“I’m gonna have a nervous breakdown over this shit,” he announced, to no one in particular.   
“Wanna talk about it?” a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and Renjun sighed, leaning into the familiar warmth.   
“It’s so hard, Nana,” he said, hiding his face in Jaemin’s neck. “Jeno wants to confess today. And Yang is leaving. And he has to leave, I understand that… But I want Jeno to be happy, you know. He deserves it.”  
Jaemin hummed in agreement and kissed him on the forehead.   
“I know, it’s awful. But sometimes… Sometimes you can’t solve those things, you know? It’s not our ghost to hunt,” he said softly. “They have to deal with that one themselves.”   
Renjun sighed and looked into his eyes.   
“You’re right.”  
“As always.”   
“Not true,” he giggled and pulled Jaemin into a short kiss. “We should probably get dressed, right? Jeno will be here soon.”   
“He’s already on our street. We can go out to meet him,” Jaemin said, his eyes unfocusing for a second. Renjun smiled.   
_Having a demon boyfriend turned out to be very efficient._

“Bye-bye, home,” Yangyang said, stepping out of the door. Renjun tried to stay collected. It was just so sad, how he got attached to that kid and now he was just supposed to let him go back to China? Awful.   
“You can come visit whenever you feel like it,” Jaemin said as if he was reading his boyfriend’s mind. “We’ll miss your annoying chatter.”   
“Aw, Jaemin!” Yangyang looked at him and Renjun could swear he saw a tear in his eye.

Just as predicted, Jeno was standing before the stairwell door when they got down.   
“Hey, guys, what’s…” he stopped, staring at Yangyang’s suitcase. “ _Oh._ ”   
Renjun watched them in silence, trying to repeat Jaemin’s words in his head over and over. It was… painful to watch.   
“Come with us to the train station,” Yangyang said, fidgeting. “Don’t wanna be late for the train, and then plane…”   
“Sure. Yeah.” Jeno was frozen in place. “I’ll take your suitcase.”   
“I can take it myself, thank you very… Hey, Lee Jeno! Give it back!”   
“No way your noodle arms could carry that. Let’s go, hm?”

It was quiet on their way to the train station. Yangyang was trying to fill the silence with chatter about trains, and ghosts, and ghost trains, and train ghosts as well. But no one could really focus on that. Jaemin and Renjun tried to stay a little behind to give the two space. _The unspeakable_ was clearly on everyone’s mind. But it wasn’t until they got to the platform that it really started to be unbearable. Yangyang was unusually quiet, standing close to Jeno and playing with the handle of his suitcase.

“I’ll be back soon,” he said finally. “I still have some episodes to film with you, right?”   
Renjun smiled.   
“Sure. You’ve become a fan favorite.”  
“Can you blame them? I’m so cute, after all.”   
Jaemin laughed.   
“Sure. Hey, we’re gonna go buy you some snacks. Stay here, you two, and don’t get lost.”   
“Yeah. And be nice,” Renjun added and smiled at his cousin. They had already said their goodbyes. It was all going according to plan.  
“I won’t promise anything,” Yangyang answered, his voice quivering slightly.

They were left alone.   
“You didn’t warn me or anything,” Jeno finally said.   
“I didn’t want anyone to know early. Y’all would throw me a funeral,” Yangyang winced, trying not to look him in the face. “And I just… I’ll be back, you know. Didn’t want a big farewell party.”   
“You? Not wanting a big party centered on yourself? Who _are you?”_ Jeno rolled his eyes.   
“I also didn’t want us to be sad, you ass.”   
“What?” Jeno managed to say. And then suddenly he had his arms full of a crying Chinese boy.   
“I’m gonna miss you. Idiot,” Yangyang choked out. Jeno pulled him closer, trying to remember everything he could from this moment. The soft fabric of Yangyang’s hoodie. The smell of his cologne.   
“You better come back very soon, then,” he whispered. He heard a small chuckle.   
“I… Sure. What will you do without me, huh?”   
_Good question._

They separated when the train arrived at the platform. Jeno helped Yangyang with his suitcase. A part of him wanted to stay on that train and just… Go to China? Maybe.   
He let Yangyang walk him back to the exit, holding his hand like it was the only thing keeping him alive.   
“I don’t want you to leave,” he whispered.  
“I don’t want me to leave either.”

For the first time that day, they looked into each other’s eyes.   
“Yang, I…”   
“The train’s about to leave,” Yangyang said.  
“I know, I just… I wanted to… We…”   
“Jen,” Yangyang’s voice was soft. “You owe me some proper talking when I come back, and I will hold you to that. But now…”   
And before Jeno realized what exactly was going on, there was a pair of lips on his own. Tasting like tears and chocolate syrup and…   
“Now go and hunt some ghosts for me, okay?” Yangyang whispered into the kiss before taking a step back.   
“Okay. Have a… safe ride. Flight. Trip.” He stood in the open door, absolutely dazed. Yangyang smiled at him, his cheeks bright pink.   
“I don’t have a say in that matter, but sure.”   
He got off the train, his eyes not leaving Yangyang’s silhouette.   
“I’ll see you soon.”   
“Sooner than you expect. I’ll haunt your nightmares.”   
“Can’t wait for that,” Jeno said softly. And with that, the train doors shut closed.   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you liked it!  
> first of all i'd like to thank all of you who stuck around!!!! i've been struggling with my mental health for some time but i see it improving. hopefully i'll have more writing opportunities now that school's cancelled for some time.   
> i hope you all are safe and healthy  
> tt: vampirexuxi  
> cc: xiaodejun_


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy!!

It was hard, getting used to the silence again.   
“Soon I’m gonna start inviting Chenle and Jisung just to wreak havoc in here,” Renjun announced, sitting down with his ghost binder. Jaemin just laughed at the idea.   
“We could start with inviting Jeno so he doesn’t isolate himself to death,” he pointed out.   
“You read my mind, Nana. Poor Jeno.” Renjun closed his binder and sighed. “Do you have any demonic powers that could tell you what to do to make him feel better?”  
“I think this is beyond Hell’s usual abilities. But we can start by getting him distracted.”   
Renjun nodded. A great idea.

“So, Jeno. Wanna pick the next location?” Renjun asked, plopping the heavy binder on the table. Jeno opened his eyes wide.   
“Me? Are you kidding?”   
“No. Go nuts.”   
He grabbed the binder with an expression of absolute shock.   
“It’s SO heavy. Do you keep a gravestone there?” he sighed. Renjun just rolled his eyes. He liked having all his research in one place.   
“Just take your pick.”

Jeno browsed the various haunted locations slowly, as if he were searching for a new flat. In the meantime, Renjun managed to prepare tea and coffee for everyone and burn some toast.   
“Where’s Jaemin?” Jeno asked, looking at various article snippets.   
“Grocery shopping. We ran out of breakfast waffles.”   
Jeno snorted.   
“That’s not a good breakfast basic, you know that?”   
“Well, nobody’s ever complained. Found something yet?”

Jeno nodded and slid the binder towards Renjun.   
“I think this one should be just fine.”   
The Chinese boy giggled.   
“Indeed.”

Jaemin didn’t suspect a thing, or he acted like he didn’t. It would be hard not to notice the sinister smiles on his boyfriend’s and friend’s faces. They weren’t exactly the best at feigning innocence. But he didn’t ask any questions. He just took the cup of coffee Renjun made him and smiled at them.   
“So, what’s up? Do we have a location?”   
“Yes, we do,” Renjun giggled. “And it’s a surprise.   
“Oh, I hate that tone,” Jaemin sighed and picked him up. “You’re absolutely adorable. But you do know it’s all make-believe, right? The ghost stuff.”   
Renjun and Jeno exchanged knowing looks.   
“Not correct, but whatever helps you sleep at night, darling.”   
Jaemin snorted and put him down on the counter.   
“Sure. Oh, I ran into Chenle, by the way. He looked pretty… What’s the word… Alarmed?”   
Renjun furrowed his eyebrows. Alarmed?

“What do you mean?” Jeno asked, putting his coffee down. “Chenle?”   
“You are familiar with a concept of Chenle, right?” Jaemin rolled his eyes. Jeno sighed.   
“Let me finish. Chenle? Scared? That doesn’t sound in character for him, does it?”   
“Yeah, but he wouldn’t let me ask what’s up. He just said something about dumb bets and consequences.”   
Renjun felt most of the tension leave his body. Oh, that was better news.   
“That sounds on brand for Lele and Jisung,” he pointed out. “Maybe he was playing a game, maybe Jisung was chasing him with an axe. You never know with them.”   
Jaemin smiled.   
“Yeah, it just… I don’t know, maybe I’m a little too stressed about anything. I couldn’t _see_ anything weird about them, no bad vibes… So we’re probably just freaking out.”   
The rest nodded.

Packing for this trip was different. Renjun missed Yangyang’s chatter, but he also felt way calmer, in a way. Obviously still terrified, especially with a case like that. But the close presence of Jaemin calmed him down a lot. They were in this together, they’d always had been, and Jaemin had his ways to protect them.  
But of course, he couldn’t forget his safety measures. He packed some salt, a few vials of holy water, flashlights and batteries, all of the equipment… This was going to be a special case, a new one. And he didn’t know how well he was prepared for that.

“You look all stressed out,” Jaemin noticed as they were leaving their place. Renjun forced a laugh.   
“Yeah, just… Ghost stuff, you know.”   
“Liar, liar, you know how it goes,” the demon rolled his eyes and wrapped his arm around Renjun’s waist. “Look at me, love.”   
Renjun blushed. _Oh._  
“Come on, let me see those beautiful eyes~”   
He finally looked at his boyfriend.   
“Yeah?” he whispered.   
“I’m here, Junnie. I will protect you. And you will be alright. You might be spooked, but you’re the bravest human I know.”   
He smiled softly.   
“Thank you, I’m just… so stressed.”   
“So I see. And I have an idea to help with that.” And with that, Jaemin just leaned into a kiss. Renjun couldn’t help but smile. Well, that was absolutely perfect. Ideal. He could just keep on going forever…

“Hey, hell-crossed lovers. We have places to go,” Jeno said, closing the trunk. “Stop being gross for ten seconds, it’s not “Titanic”…”   
“Someone’s in a bitchy mood,” Jaemin sighed, but let Renjun go and sit behind the wheel. They had to be understanding.

The car ride was unusually calm. Maybe it was because of the sweet kiss still in Renjun’s mind, maybe it was because Jaemin fell asleep immediately. They just drove calmly for two hours, resting and gathering courage before whatever was going to happen next.

And Renjun had a feeling he’d need a whole lot of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you're all safe nd sound :cc   
> my tt: vampirexuxi


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy !!

“So,” Jaemin sighed, getting out of the car and yawning. “Can we finally learn about the plans? Pretty please?”   
“Let’s get the cameras on first,” Renjun smiled, trying to hide his stress. It obviously wasn’t working very well. His hands were starting to shake now.  
“Okay, on it,” Jeno smiled. He wasn’t half as stressed, little bastard. Renjun sighed and picked a good place to film, a little road stop. They had to park by the forest to get where they were going.

“Hi everyone! It’s your favorite boys back at it again. And Jaemin is also here.”   
Jaemin laughed and pinched Renjun’s cheek.   
“You love me.”   
“I absolutely do. We’re here today on a very special case… The sun is setting and we are about to head into the wilderness to discover one of the most terrifying secrets of the region…”   
“…lack of ghosts,” Jaemin said with a scenic expression. Renjun rolled his eyes and kicked him.   
“Well, I’m not telling you, then.”   
“Oh, no.” Jaemin’s eyes grew wide. “Please tell me, please please please~!”   
Renjun smiled, enjoying the power he had over his boyfriend. Adorable.   
“We’re going to see a cave that’s an alleged demon’s lair.”

Jaemin’s expression changed minimally, but enough for Renjun to notice. His shoulders tensed up a little bit. Was he… Actually scared?   
“Scared?” he whispered.   
“Nope. Let’s go!” Jaemin smiled. Jeno turned off the camera.   
“Sure. And now, honestly. Scared?” he said, looking a little… Worried. Jaemin shook his head and sighed.   
“Surprised. A little excited, honestly. It’s not likely a lair, more of a shrine probably. I like those. But if it really is what you’re saying it is…” his expression darkened slightly. “We might not be able to get any material out of that. Because I will have to protect you and… Might do some things.”   
Renjun grabbed his hand.   
“It’s fine, baby,” he whispered. “If you don’t wanna go, we can film something else.”   
“Oh, no. I’m in. Just… Are you aware of the risk?”   
“Yeah. Let’s go and have fun. And hope there’s no demons there.”

The camera went back on and Renjun smiled.   
“So, let’s learn a little about the history of that place. The cave system was used as storage and shelter at various points in history, but it had never been such for long. People were scared. Why? That’s a fun thing to ask. Basically, many of them insisted they were seeing things in the cave. And then, the caves were left alone. Until…”   
“A horse stumbled in there and got devoured,” Jaemin guessed. Renjun looked at him, bewildered.   
“What? No!”   
“Well, I tried guessing, right.”   
Renjun just sighed and looked at his file.   
“Until local children started playing in there. And some of them, unsurprisingly for me, went missing. Obviously, everyone knew it had something to do with the caves.”   
“ _Sure,_ ” Jaemin snorted. “Oh, yeah, must be the caves.”   
“And the surviving children would talk about a child in the cave, playing with them. A child nobody knew.”   
That seemed to catch Jaemin’s attention. He wouldn’t exactly show it, but Renjun knew this little glint in his eyes too well to be fooled.  
“And, as you guys sure are aware, demons often pretend to be children. And, since then, those who approach the caves often hear a child’s laugh.”

For a few seconds, there was silence. Jaemin looked genuinely interested.   
“Of course it’s bogus,” he finally announced. “But let’s prove that once and for all.”   
“Oh, now you’re being brave.” Renjun rolled his eyes and got up. “But yeah, let’s run.”   
“Careful, there’s a stick there and…”   
Renjun smiled and jumped over the bench, doing a front flip.   
“Where?”   
“Show-off.”

They walked through the woods in silence. Renjun would sometimes stop and point out a squirrel or another small animal. It was so… serene. Jaemin watched him with admiration. He liked walking with Renjun. Liked the cute little reactions his boyfriend had to everything.   
“Look, Nana! There was a fox!” Renjun whispered. “Think I’ll be able to take a picture?”   
“Just don’t get too close, rabies…”

But Renjun was already walking towards the fox. The animal froze in place. They both eyed each other for a second, and Renjun made another step…   
That led him right into a swampy puddle.

The fox escaped, scared of the sound Renjun made. The boy squealed, defeated and disgusted.   
“It’s cold!”   
“Can you get out of there?” Jaemin walked up to him carefully. “Oh, dear. Are you all right?”   
Renjun grabbed his hand and got his leg out.   
“That was disgusting. Foxes are evil now,” he murmured, furrowing his eyebrows. Jaemin sighed and kissed him on the forehead.   
“I’m so glad you’re alright.”

“Hey, guys? Cute. We’re here, I think,” Jeno said behind them. Renjun looked at the direction he was pointing at.   
“Oh, wow,” he whispered. Before them, like a giant, fanged mouth, stood the entrance to a cave.   
“Beautiful,” Jaemin admitted. “And very demonic.”   
“Can’t believe you’re in it with me.”   
“I’m absolutely not. I’m just talking appearances.”  
“Sure,” Renjun giggled and kissed him on the cheek. “Let’s go then, shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope yall are staying safe <33  
> tt: vampirexuxi


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy!!

“Are you scared?” Jaemin whispered as they entered the darkness of the cave. Renjun shook his head. _Of course he was._ But he wasn’t telling Jaemin. He wanted to be brave for him.   
“I’m alright, I think. It’s good,” he sighed. “Excited, even.”  
“Mm, okay. Hey, demons! Hey, scary children! We’re here to fight you!”   
“ _Jaemin!”_ Renjun grabbed his hand, feeling a cold shiver run down his spine. Fuck! Maybe he was a demon and wasn’t afraid, but still.

“Dude, you’re gonna get us murdered one day,” Jeno noticed. Renjun nodded vigorously, trying to squish Jaemin’s hand even tighter. He needed his emotional support demon boyfriend.   
“There sure is something here,” he finally said, looking around. He felt all the hairs on his neck stand up. There was bad energy in the air, the kind of bad energy he’d felt in haunted places before.   
“Yeah, bad interior design,” Jaemin rolled his eyes.   
“It’s a _cave_.”   
“If a demon lives here, maybe they should clean up. And add a splash of color. Like… Blood red.”   
“ _Nana,_ ” Renjun hissed, predicting exactly where that was going.   
“Hey, demon! Want my blood to paint your walls with it? Come get it!”  
Renjun felt the ground tremble slightly. Or was it just his imagination playing tricks on him? He couldn’t tell. He clenched his jaw.   
“Let’s keep moving…”

The cave was getting darker and felt a little bit like a maze. Renjun was grateful they took so many spare batteries for the flashlights, at least he could be calm about that thing. And he could pay attention to everything in the caves. For example, the way water was dripping somewhere. The regularly used pathways. The demonic drawings… The demonic drawings?!

“These are so cute,” Jaemin said with a smile. “Adorable. I want those in my room. Renjun, can I have those in m…”   
“Absolutely not. Shut up,” Renjun hissed. He came closer to the drawings, trying to examine them. They were all child scribbles, so it seemed. Kid’s drawings of animals, people, houses. He followed them along, and things stopped seeming right. The animals were laying upside down, with crossed out eyes, or had weird mutations. The humans were skeletons now. Finally, at the end of the drawing series, there was a weird symbol. Jaemin stopped by it, his eyes weirdly focused now. Renjun sighed.   
“These are just fucked up,” he said and gestured to Jeno to stop recording.

Jaemin looked ar them, his eyes reflecting light a little bit. Bright yellow.   
“What’s up?” Renjun came up to him and took his hand.   
“This… This is a symbol that a child shouldn’t know how to draw,” Jaemin whispered, his fingers following the lines slowly.   
“What is it?” Renjun felt his legs go numb with fear. That wasn’t ideal. A demon recognizing something as legit was far from ideal.   
“A summoning mark.”   
“A _what?_ ”  
“You know what. Basically, someone tried to conduct a ritual here. But, if it helps, I don’t sense any demonic energies. Just… This symbol is pretty empowering for me. So, you know. Fun.”   
“Very fun,” Renjun whispered, looking around. He was absolutely terrified. What if the summoning was successful? What if the demon was just so good at hiding?

Jaemin’s gentle touch on his cheek distracted him from the dark thoughts.   
“We’re alright, darling. Nothing bad will happen to you. I won’t allow it.”   
Renjun looked at him, feeling himself blush. _Fuck._  
“Are you… sure?”   
“Absolutely. Now, cameraboy, shine a light on us and let’s explore further.”   
“Don’t call me cameraboy,” Jeno mumbled, annoyed. Renjun giggled and let his boyfriend lead them further into the caves. He was feeling calm again.

And then, something growled at them and Jaemin spread out his wings.

“ **Stay back, boys** ,” he hissed, stepping in front of Renjun, shielding him with black feathers. Jeno did the most sensible thing and rushed to Renjun’s side.   
“What is happening,” he whispered. The Chinese boy just shook his head, unable to say a word. _Terrifying._

The ground shook, and this time he was sure it wasn’t just his imagination. From the deep, dark abyss a growl came again, this time even louder. Jaemin was full-on demonic now, with his horns glowing slightly in the darkness.

“ **Extremely bold for someone hiding in the shadows,”** he said, looking into the darkness. Renjun couldn’t help but smile a little at that tone. Of course, Jaemin was powerful. Way more powerful than whatever was lurking in the caves. And that was kinda… _hot._  
“Please, don’t jump onto him,” Jeno sighed, trying not to be scared. “Not the time nor place to make out.”   
“Bummer,” Renjun whispered, keeping a jokey tone even though it really was quite a disappointment.

He placed his hand on Jaemin’s wing carefully.   
“Hey, darling? Maybe let’s get going,” he said out loud. Jaemin looked at him, his pupils now only thin slits. _Hot,_ Renjun thought.   
“ **You two** , go. She’s challenging me, and I cannot say no to that,” the demon smiled, revealing a row of sharp teeth. “Need to keep assholes like that in check, right?”   
“Will you be alright?” Renjun whispered, furrowing his eyebrows. Jaemin just laughed quietly and straightened his wings.   
“Of course, Junnie. Don’t worry abo **ut me.** ”   
“If you say so. Make me proud then,” he said and got on his tiptoes to kiss his boyfriend quickly.

Jeno pulled him away finally and together they managed to get outside. Renjun did slip a few times, but it wasn’t anything painful, so he decided not to comment on that.

Once they’d got outside and had taken a few breaths of fresh air, Jeno looked at him.   
“God, so he really is a fucking demon.”   
“I mean, you’ve seen the horns before, Jen. And you’ve met his _parents,_ ” Renjun rolled his eyes in disbelief. What an absolute idiot.   
“I guess it didn’t quite… Get to me, you know? But now I’ve seen everything.”  
“Yeah, keep telling yourself that.” Renjun sat on a big log and waited. And with every second, he became more and more stressed. What if something bad was happening?   
“He’ll be okay. You saw him back there. He’s a fucking powerful hell machine,” Jeno said, rubbing his arm slowly. Renjun tried not to go through all phases of mental breakdown at the same time.   
“What if he won’t be okay? How am I supposed to fight a demon?”   
“Well, you’ve already managed to seduce one.”    
Renjun smiled weakly. _Idiot._

But as soon as he got up, ready to square the fuck up and fight whatever was keeping his boyfriend away from him, Jaemin left the cave with a devilish smirk. He had a few small cuts on his arms and cheeks, but nothing major. Renjun let out a sigh of relief.   
“Nana,” he whispered and ran up to him. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”   
“Told you I’d be just fine,” Jaemin said, surprised. He wrapped his arms around Renjun’s waist and kissed him on the forehead. “Were you that worried about me?”   
“He was ready to go and fight that demon himself,” Jeno smiled. Renjun blushed. _Traitor._  
“You’re incredible,” Jaemin whispered. “Absolutely amazing.”

“Stop being mushy,” Jeno interrupted their moment. “Let’s just film an outro and get out of here.”  
And so, they did.

In the car, Renjun couldn’t help but glance at his boyfriend. He felt proud but also worried for some reason.   
Just as they pulled over to get some snacks, he noticed a growing dark spot on his shirt.   
_Fuck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, i hope you're safe and feeling okay. it's hard out there but let's get through it together <33


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy reading and stay safe folks <3  
> also check out [this and that](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23637232), a new fic featuring our favorite small boys in the unsolved universe!

“Jaemin. You’re bleeding,” Renjun said slowly, trying not to absolutely panic, or faint, or…  
“It’s fine,” his boyfriend said, visibly concealing a wince. _Shit,_ Renjun thought. _I’m dating an awful actor._  
“Baby,” he sighed. “Let me look at that, hmm?”

After some struggle, Jaemin finally allowed him to lift the shirt.  
“It’s ugly, you shouldn’t look at it.”  
Renjun gasped. It was a small, but deep and ugly wound, meticulously carved into a cross.  
“What the _hell,_ ” he whispered, reaching for his first aid kit.  
“You got it right, baby,” Jaemin chuckled weakly. “It’s… Call it a curse. I’ll be okay, it just… It won’t heal. My body won’t be able to heal that because of the… You know, the obvious.”  
Renjun sighed. Okay. Not so great, but he could at least stop the bleeding for now…

“What are you guys waiting for? Jesus shit!” Jeno screamed, almost falling over. Renjun glanced over at him.  
“Jen, sweetheart, idiot, I won’t be able to help both of you at the same time. Please breathe.”  
“Should I be jealous?” Jaemin pouted and Renjun couldn’t help but giggle. _Not only a bad actor but also an idiot!_  
“Shut up and focus on not bleeding, okay?” he said, wrapping the bandages around the wound. That was looking a little better. “Will that help?”  
“Seems so,” Jaemin sighed with relief. “Now let’s get something to eat.”  
“You’re not going anywhere. Jen, can you walk?”  
“I don’t know, can I?”  
“Go get us food, please. I’ll stay here and watch the baby.”  
“I’m not…”  
Renjun silenced him with a kiss. He needed to distract him a little. Get some time to think about all the options.  
“Shush. Just stay still.”

Getting back home wasn’t easy because Renjun had to keep his mind on the road. He was ready to just start crying. How was he supposed to get rid of a demonic curse? Maybe he should just call Jeonghan. No, that was too risky. Jeonghan was Jaemin’s dad, Renjun couldn’t imagine the stress that would cause him. No, he definitely could not call Jeonghan. Or Seungcheol for that matter. Talk to any priests? Absolutely not. Maybe Donghyuck had some friends who knew enough about the whole demonic deal to be of some help? Maybe Donghyuck knew something?

“Renjun. Focus on the road, please,” Jeno said, his voice obviously betraying his nervousness. Right. Shit.  
“I’m focused. Sorry,” he whispered. They managed to get home like that, in one piece.

“Wanna stay for the night?” Renjun asked Jeno quietly.  
“Of course, I won’t leave your crazy ass alone,” Jeno smiled at him lightly. “It will be okay. I’m sure Jaemin knows some ways to get rid of curses.”  
“Yeah… Let’s hope so,” Renjun sighed and helped his boyfriend out of the car.

After a change of the bandages, Jaemin fell asleep, sweet and innocent on their bed. Renjun stayed by his side for a long side, just playing with his hair and thinking of all the options that he had. That was… _Stressful._

 _“_ Jun, are you okay?” Jeno asked, placing his hand on his friend’s shoulder.  
“I… I don’t know. How do we get rid of a curse, Jen? That’s just a whole other level of things,” he sighed.  
“I know. Maybe start by calling Hyuck, okay? I’ll stay here and watch over Jaemin.”  
Renjun smiled.  
“Thanks,” he whispered, standing up slowly. He was so happy to have his friends.

Jaemin woke up in a cold sweat. He was having nightmares, of course he was. The well-known burning sensation was now back, marking its presence, feeling like an inextinguishable flame scarring his body deeply. It felt like he was reliving everything… From that time. Like he was back _there_ again.  
“Hey. Jaemin,” someone said by his head. He looked up to see a concerned Jeno.  
“Oh. Hi. Is Renjun…”  
“He’s on call with Hyuck. I can get him here if you want…”  
“We can wait,” Jaemin breathed out, trying to calm down. He felt Jeno gently wipe his forehead. Oh, did he have a fever? That made sense probably.  
“I’ll be okay, Jen, it’s nothing big…” he tried to argue weakly. Jeno almost snorted at that statement.  
“Renjun isn’t here, you can stop playing the hero. You idiot. Does it hurt?”  
“Like a fucking gallon of boiling holy water.”  
“ _Yikes.”_ Jeno winced at that. “Do you know a way to get rid of that?”  
“I’ll need another demon to do that, a powerful one as well. My dads are out of the question, they’d go crazy with worry…” He stopped because of Jeno’s raised eyebrows. “What?”

“Stop being an idiot, will you? We all worry. Because we _care about you._ Because, believe it or not, you big stupid idiot…”  
“I feel like you need to work through some things,” Jaemin choked out, amused.  
“Shut the fuck up and rest. You’re no longer some free-range demon. You’re a domesticated demon.”  
“What in the seven hells are you talking about?”  
“That you’re like family to me. And to Hyuck, and Mark, and the kids, and obviously you and Jun are practically married…”  
“We are?”  
“So stop being all reckless and brave and Mr I-Can-Do-It-Myself… And let us help, okay? Idiot.”

Jaemin stared at him for some time in absolute silence. He was… Stunned. That was definitely a word to describe that.  
“Bro,” he finally choked out. Jeno patted his head softly.  
“It’s okay to be vulnerable. Bro.”  
“Thank you,” Jaemin whispered.

Alone in the bathroom. Renjun sighed deeply and blew out the last candle.  
“I abandon all light to bring in the flame of Hell,” he said, staring right into the abyss. He knew there was a black mirror in front of him, an old gift from Donghyuck.  
A soft giggle echoed through the bathroom. Renjun made a cut on his finger.  
“I open the door.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)  
> tt: arson1st


End file.
